


Oh Raven

by nekojita



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, F/M, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, M/M, Multi, Promise, a sweetheart who can kick his @ss, andrew does NOT thank renee, andrew realizing a few things, andrew realizing a few things thanks to renee, because she's a sweetheart, but it's there i promise, but no one you'll care about i promise, but there is violence, go with me on the renee/allison/jean/jeremy thing okay?, has anyone else done it before?, i promise this is NOT as bad as Raven's Partner when it comes to the dubious consent/non-con, it's AFTG after all, it's just starting out, neil as a raven, renee doesn't mind, that's basically out, there's violence here, yes jean and neil still bicker like an old married couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 06:28:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 63,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23466877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nekojita/pseuds/nekojita
Summary: Neil goes to Edgar Allan for winter break with the intention of soon returning to PSU... only when he does, it's with a contract in his pocket as a Raven, to let Wymack know that he isn't a Fox any longer.(That he's switched teams to protect his friends... to protect ANDREW, not that he'll ever admit such a thing out loud.)Andrew returns to PSU free of a detested drug but not of familiar, awful demons, only to find a certain lying rabbit (a certain pipedream) has run away to Edgar Allan, and refuses to have anything to do with Neil Josten anymore.Only it's not as simple as that, is it? Not when Riko is still determined to tear the Foxes down, to prove that he's 'better' than Kevin.When others know the truth about Neil, and Andrew's feeling for him.*******My contribution to 2020's Reverse Big Bang based on tigerjawed's amazing artwork.
Relationships: Andrew Minyard & Betsy Dobson, Andrew Minyard & Renee Walker, Katelyn/Aaron Minyard, Neil Josten & Jean Moreau, Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, renee walker/allison renyolds/jean moreau/jeremy knox
Comments: 68
Kudos: 395
Collections: AFTG Reverse Big Bang 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> You know... life's funny sometimes. I managed to finish this HUGE fic about Neil as a Raven (over 600 THOUSAND WORDS), and then life... eh, things happen. The second half of last year wasn't very good, one could say (especially considering the start of THIS year). To be brutally honest, I was looking at things to keep me going, so signed up for RBB. When the artists sign up came out, I logged on eventually, went down the list of amazing artwork, and basically went back up the list selecting what I liked (I admit, my brain wasn't functioning well at the time and if there was a comment of 'list favorites first to last'... I completely missed it). The last pic was the Raven Neil one, and I almost didn't select it because hello, huge Raven Neil fic, but the art was so lovely I put it down.
> 
> I figured I had answered late enough that I'd get whatever was left. To my surprise, I got the Raven Neil art. I admit, I laughed when I saw that, because again, huge Raven Neil fic. But again, absolutely lovely art. I also took it as a challenge - how to write another Raven Neil fic that wasn't the same as what I'd already written. I admit, I had fun on this, which was what I absolutely needed, and Tigerjawed as well as my beta, Ozoz, were absolutely amazing.
> 
> So what do you get? A new Raven Neil fic (hopefully). There are still some things I believe are sacrosanct when it comes to the AFTG universe (especially when it comes to Neil as a Raven), that are my head canons, but I tried to change things around. This is what I consider a more 'safe' version - meaning no non-con (except to referencing Andrew's and Jean's past), and brief mentions of sexual harassment.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it, especially the amazing art. Once again, shout-outs to Tigerjawed and Ozoz for all the hard work they did, as well as the admins of RBB2020.  
> *******

*******

Neil stumbled along while he made his way toward ‘Departures’ and the nearest (legal) exit of Upstate Regional Airport; only Jean’s tight grasp on his left elbow kept him on his feet. He hissed as pain shot up his arm when he nearly tripped over nothing yet nodded in gratitude at his… at his partner for the save, and Jean let go as soon as he was able to walk steadily (or mostly) again.

“ _The Master said that someone will be waiting with the car at exit 2B_ ,” Jean murmured in French, the hood of his black shirt pulled far over his head and a bandage similar to one Neil wore plastered over his left cheek even though his tattoo was long healed. Unlike Neil, he wasn’t trying to hide a multitude of injuries, just avoid being noticed since he never left Edgar Allan ( _the Nest_ ) unless it was at Riko’s side.

Unless the Moriyamas had some sort of leash on him.

Neil was now that leash – or Jean was his leash, Neil thought with a sardonic humor that was more hysterical than anything. Jean would ensure that he didn’t do anything stupid (anything _else_ stupid) while away from the Nest, and Neil wouldn’t allow anything to happen to Jean and risk handing Riko another weapon to use against him.

He’d adopted to the partner system in the end.

(He detested Riko’s smug voice in his head telling him how he was going to be such a _perfect **Raven**_.)

Jean had to help him remain on his feet a couple more times, the last three (two, dammit) weeks at Edgar Allan having caught up with him at last. Part of Neil wished that he could close his eyes and imagine that he was by himself, that he’d returned after enduring the Christmas break at the Nest and could now resume his life at PSU.

It was a nice dream, but that’s all it was – a fantasy. He was there with a tattoo, a brand on his cheek and a contract which felt as if it was made out of lead tucked into the lightweight jacket he wore beneath the oversized black cotton hoodie (similar to Jean’s) to help hide his bandages and dyed hair.

They made it through the airport without attracting any unwanted attention, though it helped that it was late in the evening and a holiday, too; everyone was busy with their own destination, laden with baggage or trying to reach their family. When Neil and Jean stepped outside at the appropriate spot, they found a black sedan waiting for them, a middle-aged man dressed in a black suit holding a sign which read ‘EAR’ in his left hand.

Jean nodded to the man and held out his right hand for the keys while he said ‘three’ in French, which was all the confirmation the man needed before he handed them over, along with a business card. “Call me when you’re ready to leave tomorrow,” he said before walking away, supposedly to his own ride.

That would be early morning, since they had orders to return to Edgar Allan as soon as possible, but Neil was sure that the man was being paid well to be a Moriyama lackey. He threw his small travel bag into the back of the car then blinked in surprise when Jean tossed him the keys. “What?”

“You drive, you know the way.”

Neil held up his bandaged hands in silent answer, then frowned when Jean’s face went blank in the particular manner which normally preceded abuse from a Moriyama (usually Riko). At first confused about why he acted that way, Neil glanced at the car and then his partner’s unwillingness to get behind the wheel. “ _Wait, do you know how to drive_?” he asked in French.

Jean was quiet for a few seconds before he shook his head, the motion curt. “No.”

About to ask why a man at least twenty years old didn’t know how to drive when he’d learned when he was half that age, Neil thought better of it after a moment and sighed in resignation. “ _No complaints, then_ ,” he warned as he went to the driver’s side.

Relief flashed over Jean’s face before it was replaced with a faint sneer. “ _If it’s anything like your pathetic Exy skills, we’ll be lucky to make it there in one piece_.”

“ _Well, if they offend you that much, I can always find a nice, solid wall to drive into and end your suffering_ ,” Neil offered with a cheerful smile as he pulled into traffic (and ignored the ache from his fingers curled around the wheel). “ _Oh, look, there’s an oil tanker ahead! Who doesn’t want to go in a huge fiery explosion_?” he asked as he pushed on the gas pedal.

“ _Don’t you dare_!” Jean yelled as he braced his hands against the dashboard. “ _You’re insane_!”

Neil shrugged to show that he wasn’t bothered with the verdict – and swerved around a car barely going the speed limit. “ _Relax, you get to continue to be a pain in the ass_ ,” he chided as he drove to Wymack’s apartment. “ _Besides, if I’m ever going to go all_ kamikaze _, it’s when I can take out someone other than a grouchy French bastard_.”

Jean was quiet as he slumped back in the seat, then grunted. “ _That reminds me, we need to work on your Japanese – how much of the last lesson did you memorize_?”

Groaning from something other than physical pain for once, Neil allowed his now-smug partner to distract him from what would happen once he reached Wymack’s apartment and recited the lesson plan that had been assigned to him by the French terror.

Yet soon enough they reached their destination, which meant that Neil had to face his former coach, had to break the news of what had happened at the Nest; Jean seemed to sense his apprehension and gave a slight nudge to his right shoulder. “Do you want me to come up with you?”

The offer jolted Neil from his daze. “No, it’s best that I do this by myself. Besides, I can use you as an excuse to leave quickly.” Or, if the worst happened (which was likely, considering Neil’s luck), Jean could come after him. “Give me… if I’m not back within thirty minutes, come after me.”

Jean nodded once; Neil left the keys to the car so the backliner would be warm while he waited and, after a moment’s hesitation, removed the black hoodie before he left.

He hadn’t been back at the apartment since he’d worked out the deal with Andrew after the disastrous night at Eden’s, a night he’d much rather repeat than do what he had to do right then. His feet felt as if they were encased in concrete as he left the elevator (for once forgoing the stairs) and walked down the quiet hallway to Wymack’s apartment, and part of him hoped that the man wasn’t home even though it was important that he get through the next few minutes.

As if fate agreed, the man opened the door after a couple knocks.

“Who the hell is – Neil?” Wymack, dressed in a ratty old shirt (did the man own any other kind?) and faded blue sweatpants, stubble on his face and hair a mess, stared in confusion at him from the other side of the doorway. “What the hell are you doing here?” he asked, anger replaced with confusion as he motioned Neil inside. “And looking like that?”

Neil winced at the reference, which he was certain had as much to do with the bruises and bandages as the fact that Riko had ordered that his hair be dyed back to its natural auburn color and that his contacts be thrown away; at least once Neil had given in to the bastard, things had gotten ‘better’. Somewhat.

He hated to think about how much more battered he’d be if he hadn’t agreed to Riko’s demands in the end.

“Happy New Year.” He couldn’t bring himself to call the man ‘Coach’, not anymore.

"He sounds like Neil," Wymack said as he stepped out of the way, "but he doesn't look like him. I'll take your explanation from the top and without a side order of bullshit, thanks."

The sarcastic words made Neil flinch, as did the expectation of Wymack’s reaction upon hearing that ‘explanation’. He caught the way that Wymack stilled at his reaction, only to move once Neil sat down in one of the chairs; Wymack grumbled something beneath his breath as he pushed a few Exy magazines out of the way on the couch so he could sit nearby – as usual, the apartment was a mess, littered with magazines, papers, filled ashtrays, take-out containers and liquor bottles.

“That’s why I’m here,” Neil said in a quiet voice. “To explain things to you.”

“Like why the hell you look like that? Last I heard, you were supposed to be spending the holiday with your uncle.” Anger made Wymack’s stubble-covered jaw tighten. “Don’t tell me he’s behind your lovely new makeover.”

“No.” Neil closed his eyes for a moment as he thought about his family, about his mother and father, about how he could never escape the past no matter how hard he tried. “First, how’s Andrew and the rest of the Foxes?” Riko had sworn to him, had shown videos after Neil had signed the damn paper… but Riko was an utter bastard so he wanted to be certain before he did anything that couldn’t be taken back.

“Eh?” Wymack appeared confused and paused in lighting a cigarette. “I got a call about him yesterday, he’ll be back on Tuesday, along with the others. Dan called to talk earlier today and is doing fine, and I’ll see the rest of the ingrates soon enough. Why?” When Neil didn’t say anything, he shook his head and inhaled deeply. “You’ll see them soon. What does Andrew and the others have to do with your new look?”

Wymack would know if something had happened to them, Neil told himself as he forced his fingers to unclench, fingers he hadn’t even realized he’d formed into fists despite the pain; he let out a slow breath and braced himself for what had to happen next.

“Everything that matters,” Neil breathed out as he undid the zipper to his jacket.

“That’s not an answer,” Wymack snapped as he exhaled a plume of smoke.

“Yes, it is, or part of it.” Neil reached into an inner pocket to pull out the piece of paper that had changed his life, that ripped him from the home he’d found – against all odds – at PSU. He’d always known it was an impossible dream, playing for the Foxes, that it would end eventually… he just hadn’t imagine that he’d be the one to end it.

(It may have been better to end up in a grave, after all.)

“I’m not back to stay,” he explained as he cleared a space on the cluttered coffee table so he could lay the paper down – his contract with the Edgar Allan Ravens. The contract which he’d signed five days ago, signed with his real name. “I’m just here to let you know that I’m no longer a Fox and am transferring immediately to Edgar Allan, and will return there tomorrow morning after I clear out my dorm room.” While Wymack stared in shock at the contract, he gave a nervous smile. “That’s where I’ve been the last thr- ah, two weeks, not with my uncle. I’ve been training with the Ravens.”

“The _fuck_ ,” Wymack breathed out as he grabbed the piece of paper, cigarette hastily stubbed out in one of the ashtrays. “This says ‘Nathaniel Wesninski’, not Neil Josten.” His gaze shifted from the paper to Neil while his thick fingers clenched around the contract.

“That’s me,” Neil admitted as his bandaged fingers tugged at his dyed hair, as his smile took on a bitter edge. “’Neil Josten’s a lie, a false ID I bought because my mother took me away from my father when I was ten years old. You may have heard of him? Nathan Wesninski, the Butcher of Baltimore? He’s popular on the East Coast if you need a serial killer.”

“ _Fuck_ ,” Wymack repeated as he dropped the contract to snatch up the closest bottle of alcohol. “This… this has to be a joke,” he sputtered after several swallows.

“It’s not.” For a moment, Neil considered grabbing a bottle as well before he shook his head. “The reason why I didn’t want to join the team when you came to Millport was because of me being on the run for so long, and because I’d met Kevin before.” That made Wymack nearly drop the bottle in his hands. “I didn’t know this until recently, but it seems the bastard works for the Moriyamas, and my mom took me instead of letting him hand me over to them.” He kept any mention of the Hatfords or the money she’d stolen to himself. “I was afraid of Kevin recognizing me, when I should have been worried about the Moriyamas in the end.” That prompted a bitter laugh as he reached up to pull off the bandage on his cheek. “They did, and now I’m back where I belong, long story short.”

“Kid… _Neil_ , we got Kevin free of them, we can-“

“No.” Neil cut off the fool before he could offer any false hope. “I signed that contract of my own free will, they’re not going to let me go or you buy me out.” He shook his head as he slumped back in the chair. “In fact, someone will contact you in the next day or two about buying ‘Neil Josten’ out.” When Wymack glared and started to shake his head, Neil held up his right hand. “Don’t, okay? Don’t fight it, just accept the money and let me go. I’m already gone.”

“This is bullshit,” Wymack gritted out as he leaned forward. “You’ve fought the Moriyamas all season long, and suddenly you throw in the towel now? After just two weeks? That’s not the Josten I know.” When Neil sat there and didn’t say anything, Wymack grunted. “Wait a second, you asked about Andrew and the others.” When Neil twitched at the question, Wymack grunted and leaned forward even more as if scenting blood. “Those fucking pricks,” he hissed out, “tell me you’re not doing this because of-“

“Don’t go there,” Neil warned as he rubbed at his aching eyes; he’d been up all day (a sixteen-hour day) for practice and then left to deal with this – to say that he was exhausted was an understatement. “Just… don’t, okay?” All that mattered was that the Foxes were safe, that no one was harmed (was more harmed), that there weren’t any ‘accidents’ or fatal mugging reports or… or _Andrew_.

Neil thought of _Andrew_ locked up in Easthaven with that fucking pervert and wanted to destroy something, wanted to drive there right then and use the skills his father and Lola had taught him – but _Jean_.

“It’s done,” he breathed out instead, body one huge ache and a sense of exhaustion so worn into him that it was familiar by then, and desperate to return to the Nest before any of his old teammates came back to PSU.

Especially Andrew.

“I only told you this so you’d let me go,” he continued when Wymack wouldn’t look away. “You know the Moriyamas and how powerful they are, so keep your mouth shut about it. They’ll issue a story in another day or two about how they offered me a chance to train with them over the break, to see their side of things, and I decided they’re a better fit for me in the end so I transferred. There’s to be no mention of ‘Nathaniel Wesninski’ or my past.”

“Yeah, but it’s just one more thing for them to hold against you, isn’t it?” Wymack guessed as he reached for another mostly empty bottle of alcohol (bourbon) since he’d finished off the other one. “You think people are going to let this go? Especially since losing you means we’re out of the playoffs?”

“Oh.” Neil blamed his lack of mental cohesion on… well, a lot of things. “Yeah, as well as one of their lawyers reaching out to you about buying out my contract, they’ll be talking to you about accepting a Raven transfer.”

He probably shouldn’t have brought that up right when Wymack had swallowed, but at least he wasn’t in the way of him spitting out the alcohol. Wasn’t like the couch could get any worse, right?

“Tuh-transfer? What the hell?” Wymack huffed a few times before he groaned and slumped back on the couch, an expression of suffering on his face half-covered by his tattooed left arm. “Kid… I am not sober enough for this conversation.”

Neil agreed with that, even though he wasn’t one for drinking. “It’s Tetsuji’s idea to help smooth things over,” well, that and so Riko’s ‘fun’ of watching the Foxes’ fail (or so the bastard hoped) wouldn’t be ruined any time soon. “I go to the Ravens and they send one of their rookie strikers to the Foxes, supposedly because we’re both a better fit for the other team. That way the Foxes still have enough people and can keep playing this season.”

“Oh my fucking god, did they give you a lobotomy with that fancy makeover?” Wymack asked as he gazed at Neil, his expression incredulous. “Do you really think that I’d – that the _Foxes_ , will let you go and accept a _Raven_ in your place without a fight?”

Mindful of how he only had a few more minutes left before Jean came after him, Neil shook his head. “It doesn’t matter, I’m gone either way. That and… Nolan’s in bad shape,” he tried to explain. At first Wymack scoffed as he gestured to Neil, to the bandages wrapped around his fingers and wrists, then grew quiet when Neil held his gaze. “He’s a good striker, has learned all the drills and has potential, but… he’s not going to make it at the Nest.” Not when he didn’t have what it took to fight back against the others, to take what Riko and Tetsuji dealt out because their need for the Ravens to be perfect.

Neil could handle the abuse, could survive the pain and insults and degradation – he refused to think about why that was so.

As expected, Wymack’s bleeding heart syndrome kicked in upon hearing about the kid. “Nolan? Freshman striker? That would be Nolan Myers. His high school stats were pretty good.” Then he shook his head. “But that doesn’t mean we’re going to let you-“

“I’m already gone,” Neil insisted as he stood up. “Tell the others… tell them I’m sorry, but it’s for the best.” He gave his former coach the best smile he could summon, which wasn’t great. “It is, you’ll see. This won’t stop things entirely, but Riko’s appeased for now so things should be quiet for a while. You get a striker who’ll know to keep his mouth shut, which will make you happy.”

“And what about you?” Wymack asked as he stood up as well. “Seems to me everyone’s safe except you, and no one’s gonna be happy when they come back to find you gone. You’re also insane if you think anyone on the team will buy that you all a sudden decided you’d be happier as a Raven.”

Neil’s smile faltered and vanished before he turned away. “It doesn’t matter, at least they’ll be able to think what they want.” They’d be alive and safe, and if they wanted to hate him for what he’d done? He could live with that because they _were_ alive and safe.

Unlike Seth.

He never should have cared about them in the first place, never should have thought of Matt as a friend, cared for Dan and Allison and even Renee, allowed himself to feel as part of the Monsters. Never agreed to have Andrew watch his back, to feel some sort of safety in the other man’s presence. But he had, had tried to keep Kevin and the rest of them safe, and now he had to pay the price.

Yet for some odd reason, he thought it might have been worth it.

Wymack made an abortive motion as if to hug him, but Neil took a quick step aside. “Let the dorm know that I’ll be there early in the morning to clear out my stuff,” he said as he went to the door. “And… thank you,” he said in a soft voice. “I really wish I could’ve stayed.”

“This isn’t the end of this, we can-“

“It is,” Neil said as he opened the door. “They let you buy Kevin’s contract, they’re not going to do that for me. So focus on Nolan, on getting the Foxes as far along into the championship season as you can, and let me go. I’m a Raven now, not a Fox.” He didn’t look back as he left the apartment.

It hurt to go down the steps, and not just because of the bruises and healing cuts on his legs and chest, because of muscles pushed past all endurance the last two (three) weeks – he knew he was leaving a true sanctuary behind for good. Yet it had to be done, was necessary for Wymack and the Foxes’ safety. As he’d said, he wasn’t a Fox anymore.

Jean had the car running when he returned and didn’t say anything until they were back on the highway, headed to the hotel. “ _Another two minutes and I’d have gone to fetch you_.”

Neil huffed at that, then shook his head when his partner glared as if insulted. “ _The place was a disaster, I almost wish I’d been there longer just to see your face when you stormed in_.”

“Oh.” Jean appeared appeased, as if he realized that Neil hadn’t doubted that he’d back him up. “ _Of course when I finally get a trip outside, it’s to this backwards town and to sit outside a hovel_ ,” he sneered.

“ _I’ll try to do better next time_ ,” Neil promised.

“ _Yes, do_.”

It wasn’t the same as having Andrew beside him or even Matt, but Jean… there was something about Jean as a partner. Despite their rough start, the backliner had… ‘thawed’ was a good word, toward Neil since he’d officially become a Raven, had become ‘4’. They were now tied together, and Neil had to admit that there was some communality between him and Jean, other than they played Exy.

They’d both been sold to the Moriyamas by their parents. They both knew what it was like to push through pain and exhaustion and hunger to keep moving. They knew what it was like to have someone else control your life (Neil, his mother, Jean, the Moriyamas). They both were covered with scars.

They had to trust each other to survive, which wasn’t ideal. But Neil suspected that Jean had gone too long without someone to watch his back, while Neil… well, he hadn’t done very good without his mother, had he? They may not be the most trusting of souls, but they were all the other had in the Nest.

They were partners, and he suspected that the one thing they least wanted was Riko taking anything more from them than the prick already had, so they would make things work out somehow.

Neil had given away the last of his freedom, the home he’d found with the Foxes, and the faint hope of a normal future. If Riko thought he’d given up his spine as well? Oh, someone had just made a huge mistake.

*******

Something was wrong; Andrew sat in the passenger seat of the GS while Nicky drove back to campus, a nervous grin plastered on his face while he chattered about various nonsense. In the back, Aaron and Kevin sat without saying a word, Aaron busy on his phone and Kevin staring at the window as if it played a damn Exy game.

There was a conspicuous empty spot between them, one that would fit a short (ha) Exy junkie – Andrew felt an odd twinge in his chest that he blamed on a nicotine craving (soon to be addressed) instead of Neil’s absence.

It wasn’t like he’d expected the mouthy little bastard to welcome him back to the land of the free, not when he wasn’t blood like Aaron or Nicky, not when he didn’t need something from Andrew so desperately like Kevin. While they had their little arrangements between them… that was all, really. Andrew would keep Riko off Neil’s back, and Neil kept Kevin at PSU, had kept him safe while Andrew….

He wasn’t going to think of Easthaven anymore, other than how to rid it of a particular pest.

Neil might not be present (was most likely off somewhere stirring up trouble that Andrew would have to deal with when he just wanted a damn cigarette and a few shots of whiskey, then a very long nap), but it appeared that he’d honored his promise of protecting Kevin while Andrew had been detained. Glancing via the rearview mirror at his brother who seemed obsessed with his phone, Andrew spared a bitter thought about how _some_ liars could keep their word.

Something to deal with… later, he promised himself as he closed his eyes and let Nicky’s babble about Eden’s that weekend wash over him. Later, when he wasn’t so worn out, so… so hollow. He’d known that things would be different once the drugs were out of his system, when he no longer was subjected to the damn false mania most of the time – he just hadn’t suspected how the constant ‘high’ had burned him out over the last few years (along with the disappointments and betrayals and being torn apart and… life being the usual bitch).

He could really use that nap right then.

About to start on it a bit early, he was drifting in and out of sleep when they reached campus, and jolted awake when he noticed the stadium in all its garish color looming ahead instead of Fox Tower.

“-order pizza for dinner, how does that sound? I ran out for some beer so we can-“

“Why the fuck are we here?” Andrew demanded to know as he sat up in the seat. “We’re not practicing today.” Were they there to pick up Neil?

Nicky gave another nervous laugh (would he do it again if Andrew stabbed him?) while he flicked the fingers of his left hand at the stadium. “Uhm, Coach told us to come here after we picked you up for some reason.”

That wasn’t suspicious at all; had the Moriyamas been up to their nasty little tricks while Andrew was off learning that medication truly didn’t lead to better living? He twisted around to face Kevin, who appeared unhappy even though he was on what equated to sacred ground for the addict. “Well? Don’t tell me you brought me here for a surprise party, me without a party hat and all,” he drawled while he gave Kevin an intent look.

The pain in the ass flushed and shook his head. “I don’t know why he wants us, he wouldn’t even tell _me_.” Kevin radiated offense for a moment (something he did so well) before he took to fidgeting with the zipper of his black coat. “He’s not happy about something, though.”

“Who is?” Aaron quipped as he finally put away his phone.

“Words of wisdom,” Andrew intoned while Nicky parked as close to the entrance as possible, then all four of them went inside the stadium to see what their fearless leader wanted; Andrew trailed along at the rear, and noticed a significant look shared between Nicky and Kevin along the way.

Hmm, someone was keeping secrets from him, were they? How rude.

He felt the lack of his armbands, of his knives, with a distinct pang, and hoped that wherever Neil was, he hadn’t misplaced the damn things. Fingers twitching with the urge to slip beneath the cuffs of his sleeves, Andrew followed his ‘monsters’ into the lounge, where Wymack waited for them.

“Good, nice to see that you lot can follow instructions for once.” He gave them a weary look as if exhausted for some reason.

“Aw come on, the semester hasn’t even started yet and you’re abusing us?” Nicky smiled, the expression still containing a nervous edge, as he held out his arms as if expecting a hug. “Where’s the love?”

“I’d be more ‘loving’ if you didn’t cause me so much grief.” Wymack pushed away from the wall, his gaze fixed on Andrew. “How are you? Everything… well, I mean-“

“All spic and span now, yay,” Andrew droned in a flat manner as he folded his arms over his chest. “What the hell is going on? Which one of your rejects broke down now?”

Wymack muttered something beneath his breath while he rubbed his right hand over his face. “Too damn much to ask that they fixed an asshole like you, eh?” he said once he looked at Andrew again.

“Me? Sheer perfection, and this isn’t you explaining why we’re here.” Andrew was ready to go raid the man’s office for cigarettes and bourbon when Wymack heaved a truly ridiculous sigh then nodded.

“No, it isn’t, but this… this isn’t easy.” For some reason, he looked at Kevin, who shuffled over to him while something that suspiciously resembled guilt appeared on his now pale face. “If I thought it could wait until everyone was here tomorrow, I’d tell you then, but I get the impression we won’t be that lucky. As it is, I already told Matt.”

“Told Matt what, Coach?” Nicky asked as he glanced back and forth between the man and Kevin. “What’s going on?”

Andrew was beginning to suspect that Neil wasn’t busy practicing on the court.

Wymack glanced at Kevin, who blanched even more as he shook his head, a quick snap to the left and right, then sighed again while Andrew’s eyes narrowed (and fingers clenched around his wrists, as his arms _ached_ with the loss of his armbands). “Right after the new year, Kevin called me about Neil when he couldn’t get ahold of him.”

“He went somewhere by himself for break?” Andrew asked as a rare emotion, especially in the last few weeks, stirred inside of him. “He was supposed to stay with you,” he told Kevin, who refused to look at him.

“Uhm, his uncle invited him to meet up,” Nicky offered while Aaron was awfully quiet. “So he went to see him while we hung out with Matt and his mother.”

Neil broke his promise to protect Kevin, to keep an eye on him, to hang out with an uncle he’d refused to call for help? Even if alarms weren’t already going off in Andrew’s head, they’d sound from that alone. “You just let him leave like that?” he asked Kevin, who still refused to look at him.

“I told him not to say anything, that we’d deal with it when the team came back because I saw Neil on New Year’s Eve,” Wymack continued before Andrew could force an answer from the coward.

Nicky and even Aaron gaped at the man for that announcement. “What, he’s here? Where is he?” Nicky asked with excitement while Aaron put aside his phone.

Andrew knew it wasn’t going to be good when Wymack paused to wipe at his face again and Kevin shuffled closer to their coach. “No, he’s not here.” Once again, Wymack glanced at Andrew. “He was only here for a few hours so he could pack up his stuff and tell me that he transferred to Edgar Allan, effective immediately.”

It was quiet for a couple seconds while the news sunk in, and then both Nicky and Aaron took to yelling at Wymack about how that was impossible, that Neil would never agree to be a damn Raven, that he had a contract with PSU and was a _Fox_ , dammit! Meanwhile, Andrew stared at Kevin, who didn’t argue, didn’t shout, just stood there as the emotion continued to build – rage, he slowly realized.

He was so _angry_.

(He hadn’t even been this angry over Proust.)

“Hey, hey, shut up for a minute, okay?” Wymack shouted as he held up his hands. “I know he has a contract with us, but Edgar Allan bought him out, and there’s nothing I could do when he didn’t fight it. It’s his choice and if he wants gone, he’s gone.”

“But why? He hates the Ravens,” Nicky whined as he continued to shake his head.

“I don’t know, but apparently he spent his break with them, not with family. Something about him realizing he’s a better fit with them, or at least that’s what Tetsuji will be releasing any minute now over the line-up change. Something was going on, Neil was all beat up and sporting a damn Perfect Court tattoo, along with a fancy makeover, but he wouldn’t tell me anything other than he was switching teams.” It was obvious that Wymack didn’t believe the liar, and Kevin’s ongoing silence meant something indeed was going on, that the striker most likely knew about Neil’s little ‘change of heart’.

“So what, we’re done now?” Aaron asked as he motioned around the room. “We’ve lost Josten so we don’t have enough players to compete?”

It looked as if Riko got his way after all, without coming after Kevin directly.

“No.”

Andrew blinked in surprise at that, since he couldn’t imagine how Wymack could have recruited someone mid-season. “You been practicing necromancy during the break, Coach? I can only imagine how death’s improved Gordon.”

“Not funny,” Wymack grumbled while he glared at Andrew, even though Aaron huffed in amusement. “No, the reason why I told Matt already and that we’re not eliminated is because… well, the Ravens basically did a swap with us.” He motioned out toward the court. “They got Neil and we got one of their freshman strikers in return.”

Well, that explained why Kevin wasn’t breaking down, not if he could still play his precious stickball game, when he should still have a semi-reasonable striker on his team. All was fine as long as the Foxes could still play a few more stupid games before they crashed and burned like the pathetic losers they were.

It didn’t matter that Neil Josten had shown his true colors in the end, that he’d cut and run despite Andrew’s promise to protect him, despite his promise to Andrew. Oh no, just another liar, another person to let Andrew down.

He could barely breathe for a moment, the emotions so _sharp_ and _potent_ and _burning_.

( _Why_? Why for _Neil_?)

If it had been a few weeks ago, before that ‘lovely’ dinner at Nicky’s parents, he’d have thrown his head back and laughed at the absurdity of it all, but all he did then was spin around on his heel and leave while Wymack talked about some ex-Raven rookie out on the court, about how he expected them to treat the kid right. Andrew ignored his name being called as he stalked to his car, grateful that he had his keys, at least.

Wymack could give the others a ride to the dorm; right then… right then he didn’t feel like being around anyone. Not when he wished that he had his knives in hand, when he felt like stabbing them into something ( _someone_ , someone named ‘Moriyama’ or with too-pretty blue eyes and a lying tongue).

The parking lot was still half-empty, the students slowly trickling in (meaning Andrew shouldn’t have to deal with the annoying upperclassmen just yet); he parked in the first suitable spot then went up to the suite. He’d tracked down a spare pack of cigarettes and was halfway through one when there was a loud knock on the door.

Content to ignore it at first, he only went to answer it because punching whoever was bothering him might be mildly interesting. To his surprise, the annoyance turned out to be Matt Boyd (well, perhaps not so surprising), who barely avoided being punched since he came bearing gifts – Andrew’s armbands (more importantly, knives).

“I thought I heard someone come back.” He took one look at Andrew and scoffed. “Let me guess, Coach told you the good news?”

Andrew nodded once while he motioned for his armbands. “Josten left them with you?”

“He left them in the room with a note, asking that I give them to you,” Boyd explained without handing them over. “I can’t fucking believe it, first that Kevin knew he was at Edgar Allan the entire time or that he went over to the dark side like that without talking to any of us.” He shook his head, his expression furious, as he clutched the bands. “It’s such… such _bullshit_! A couple weeks ago, he was looking forward to this semester and kicking their asses out on court, and now he’s a _Raven_? He left me some dumb letter asking me to look after the new kid and to give you your shit, not to blame Kevin, and that’s it.”

Why did people assume that Andrew cared about this shit? He’d been sober for less than a month, and now being stoned out of his mind most of the time was suddenly appearing a lot better.

“And Nolan’s… okay, he’s an asshole, all right? He’s not Neil, not- hey!” Matt scowled as Andrew snatched the armbands from him then slammed the door in his face. “You’re welcome, you prick!”

Oh, how crushing; Andrew swung by the kitchen for Kevin’s ‘emergency stash’ to help him numb the pain before he returned to the bedroom (cigarette had burned down to the filter, yet another annoyance) so he could resume smoking and check out his knives.

After having a couple swallows of vodka and lighting another cigarette, he undid the string (shoelace) which bundled the armbands together to discover a folded note with his name on it, along with the key to the house to Columbia. For a moment he debated reading the note, to see what pathetic excuses Neil had written… then crumpled it up and threw it away.

Neil had run away, so Andrew was done with him.

(He ignored the stab of pain in his chest – it was just from smoking after so long without any cigarettes.)

At least the lying rabbit appeared to have treated Andrew’s knives all right, since they were in the same condition as they’d been when he’d left them behind at Luther’s. Something in him calmed at the feel of weight and constriction around his forearms, in knowing that he wasn’t defenseless, that he could protect those he’d promised to keep from harm once again (those still there for him to protect).

Aaron and Nicky returned about half an hour later, after a few more swallows from the bottle of vodka. “Thanks,” Aaron drawled as he entered the bedroom, “so wanted to be stuck there for that.”

Andrew gave his twin the finger. “Where’s Kevin?”

“Decided to stay behind to practice with the new kid,” Nicky explained as he sat on his bed. “Uhm, Nolan, his name is Nolan, and he’s not half bad.” He tried for one of his usual perverted leers, but it was obvious that his heart wasn’t in it. “I mean, he’s not Neil, but-“

“Don’t talk about him,” Andrew ordered as he turned the vodka bottle around in his hands, “he’s gone.”

“Neil? But-“

“ _Don’t_ ,” Andrew insisted; his tone was flat but something in his demeanor convinced his cousin to listen for once. Aaron gave him a searching look for a couple seconds before he went back to pulling a sweatshirt from a drawer.

“Ah, okay.” Nicky’s anxious laughter was getting on Andrew’s nerves. “So, Nolan? Not bad, not bad at all, in that ‘ooh, _nice_ jock body’ way-“

“You disgust me,” Aaron muttered while he pulled on the sweatshirt.

“-but it’s the typical Raven personality,” Nicky continued without batting an eye. “All ‘you Foxes suck’ and ‘I’m so much better than everyone here but Kevin’ garbage. It looked like even Coach wanted to throttle him, but I think he’s just gonna let Kevin knock him down a bit.”

“There has to be something wrong with him, the Ravens sent him here,” Aaron argued.

“Is Coach with him?” Andrew asked as he pushed away from the window, more concerned over the fact that Kevin – stupid, Exy-addicted Kevin – was alone with a Raven sent to the Foxes by Riko for a reason.

“Yeah, said he didn’t want Kevin to overdo anything.” Nicky frowned when Andrew headed out of the bedroom. “Uhm, so what about the pizza party?”

Andrew ignored him as he set the bottle of vodka aside then grabbed his coat, phone and keys, then shoved on his shoes so he could leave.

At least he had his knives now.

Wymack didn’t seem surprised to see him return; the man leaned against the narrow ‘shelf’ running below the plexiglass wall around the court, where Kevin and the new kid (Nolan) were busy being a couple of idiots. “Ready to listen to me now?”

“Enlighten me on why you’re letting Kevin anywhere near a Raven sent by Tetsuji and Riko, after everything they’ve already done to him and this team in the past year,” Andrew demanded as he lit another cigarette.

“Because I may only know him for a couple days, but I don’t think he’s here to fuck things up. Because Neil said to take care of the kid, that he wasn’t a real Raven, which is why they got rid of him.”

Andrew clicked his tongue in disgust. “As if you can believe the word of a known liar, a liar who’s a _Raven_ now.”

Wymack rubbed the back of his neck as he stared out over the court, his face aged by exhaustion and something else, something like having been beaten down one too many times. “I didn’t get the impression that he was happy about it, that he’d done it willingly. I don’t know what happened to him at Edgar Allan, other than it wasn’t good, because he wouldn’t fucking tell me anything other than he’d signed the contract and I’d no hope of getting him out of it.” He let out a harsh breath and shook his head. “Such a _stubborn_ bastard.” Then he gazed aside at Andrew. “But he asked about you, how you and the others were, if all of you were all right. That was all that seemed to matter to him, if you were okay and that Nolan’s treated decently.”

This wasn’t what Andrew wanted to hear. “You can’t believe anything he says, I warned you that he was trouble.”

“Yet you stopped fighting with him and took him in. Somehow, I don’t think you’re the type to be fooled,” Wymack shot back. “So which is it? That Neil’s a liar who tricked _you_ of all people, or you don’t want to admit that the kid’s in real trouble now?”

“When isn’t Neil in trouble?” Andrew said as he watched Kevin snatch the ball away from the Raven rookie.

(As he refused to wonder why Neil was so worried about him.)

“You know what? It was so quiet while you were gone, except for the winter banquet,” Wymack chose to inform him. “Where Neil got into a fight with Riko, of all things. Even punched the asshole.”

Huh, a shame Andrew had missed it.

“Yet two weeks later, Neil signs on with the asshole’s team. Doesn’t that seem the least bit funny to you?”

“Life’s one big joke,” Andrew enlightened the man before he banged on the plexiglass.

It took several hits, but Kevin finally got the hint and came over. “What?”

“Play time is over, get off the court,” Andrew ordered while Wymack sighed as if weary. “Now.”

“But we’re just-“

“ _Now_ ,” Andrew repeated with a narrow look.

Kevin glared at the order but knew better than to continue to argue, while Nolan gave Andrew a confused look.

“Why is he telling you what to do? You’re number two, are-“

“Baby birds are to be seen and not heard,” Andrew intoned as he shoved the rookie back. “Or else I’ll feed you a basket of Exy balls.”

“Hey!”

“Minyard, you’re not going to threaten this kid, do you hear me? None of your usual bullshit!”

“It’s not a threat, it’s a promise,” Andrew said with a slow blink while he motioned for Kevin to go wash off.

“No you won’t,” the rookie challenged as he glared at Andrew with his racquet held in both hands, a flush to his light brown cheeks and short dreads held back by a black bandana. “Neil said you wouldn’t hurt me, not as long as I don’t harm any of the Foxes, especially your little group. He specifically warned me not to do anything to them, even though your brother and cousin suck as players, and to always listen to Kevin. He also said not to go clubbing with you, or drink anything you or them give me.”

Oh, it was such a good thing that Josten was in another state at the moment, wasn’t it? “Give me your racquet.”

The rookie clutched it closer to his chest. “Why?” Maybe he wasn’t a stupid little bird after all, even if he believed Neil.

“Because I want to welcome you to the team the same way I did Josten.” It was only fair, if the Raven was taking the rabbit’s place.

“Minyard, no!” Wymack bellowed as he shoved his way between the two of them. “Leave the kid alone!”

Ah, that boring old song; Andrew gave a curt, two-fingered salute and walked away while Nolan muttered about psychopaths and Wymack tried to assure him that things would be all right. By the time he reached the showers, Kevin had already washed off and was toweling himself dry, his movements jerky with anger.

“You’re being an asshole,” he spat out as he threw the towel aside then reached for his clothes. “We were making progress with the practice session, do you know how vital it is to spend as much time with Nolan on court as possible so we’re prepared for our first game? We just lost Neil and now have a new player, even if he’s better than most of the team we still need to figure out his style and-“

Andrew kicked his left foot back against the locker he leaned on to cut short the tirade. “He’s a Raven. What makes you think I’m going to allow you out on court with a Raven Riko deliberately sent here?”

Kevin flushed at that but shook his head once he finished pulling on his black t-shirt. “No, it’s not like that, okay? Honestly.” He gazed at Andrew once the shirt was pulled down over a rather impressive set of abs (such a shame the package came with a terrible personality). “As a Fox? Nolan’s got a lot of potential, will get us through the death matches at least _if_ we practice enough! He knows the drills, he knows how to listen and to cooperate, to function with a team. But there’s a reason he’s here and not at the Nest.”

“Because he’s Riko’s lackey,” Andrew pointed out as he folded his arms over his chest.

“No, dammit.” Kevin pinched the bridge of his nose as if he had a headache. “Look, Nolan gave me a letter from Neil, okay? And it’s his handwriting, I’ve seen his notes on other teams enough to recognize it. He told me a few things about the kid, about why he transferred, and it’s largely because he couldn’t take how the Ma- ah, he couldn’t handle Tetsuji’s teaching style, okay?” Kevin shivered a little as he rubbed his right shoulder – rubbed along where Tetsuji would cane his players if they didn’t learn fast enough, from what he’d told Andrew.

About to comment on how one couldn’t trust a known liar like Neil, Andrew went with the question which had bothered him ever since he’d returned to campus. “Why was Neil at the Nest in the first place, hmm? Something tells me you have a story to tell.” He pushed away from the lockers when Kevin glanced aside. “Tell it or I’ll cut you open to see if it spills out.”

Kevin’s green eyes went wide at the threat; he held up his hands and shook his head. “Okay! It’s just… you’re not going to like it, all right?”

As if Andrew ‘liked’ anything he’d found out since leaving Easthaven. “Talk.”

“It’s just… Riko threatened him with you at the winter banquet, told him he had to go to the Nest or something would happen to you,” Kevin said in a rush. “So he went.”

Andrew was quiet for several heartbeats (increased ones at that – why was it that the world was so flat and emotionless since the damn drug had been stripped from him _except_ for anything to do with one Neil Josten?) before he scoffed in derision. “You trust the word of a liar?”

“I know Neil, and I know Riko,” Kevin said, his tone sour as if he couldn’t believe Andrew had just asked that question. “Also, Jean talked to me at the banquet and basically said the same thing – that Neil would show up at the Nest if he didn’t want anything to happen to his friends, that Riko would do anything to break him.”

That… that was something Andrew didn’t want to think about right then. “And that makes you think we can trust this rookie?”

“I think… I think Riko doesn’t want us to fail too early with Neil gone because then people will say he lured Neil away just for that reason. And I genuinely believe Nolan’s relieved to be away from the Ravens, even if he feels that the Foxes are a bit beneath him.” Kevin didn’t have to sound as if he agreed with the kid. “It’s not uncommon for a freshman to ‘lose’ their scholarship due to bad grades,” he said as he rubbed his left hand. “It’s why Tetsuji recruits so many – it’s written off due to the pressure of maintaining the required GPA and the strict practice regiment, but really it’s because not everyone can adapt to his demanding standards.”

“Not everyone can accept being the punching bag for a sadist,” Andrew translated with a bland look while Kevin grew flustered. Yet Neil had just willingly signed up even though he knew what happened at the Nest, when he’d deliberately provoked Riko for the last few months… when Riko Moriyama had it in for him for whatever reason (other than Neil being a mouthy little shit).

Why? Because of some foolish threats?

Andrew knew the idiot was a martyr, but that much of one? That much of an idiot as well?

He didn’t want to think about it or the man anymore.

“You don’t practice with the rookie unless I’m with you,” he told Kevin, which prompted a relieved smile from his friend. “And no, we’re done for today.”

“I… all right,” Kevin grumbled as he grabbed his coat. “I’ll work out a training regime tonight.”

When they walked into the lounge, Wymack paused in going over something with Nolan to look at them and grunted softly when Kevin nodded once. Andrew held up his right hand with middle finger extended, and continued on his way as his ‘beloved’ coach yelled at him to fuck off.

Nicky better be willing to run out for some real alcohol as well as the pizzas, because Andrew was in no mood to remain sober that night; the sooner he was unable to think about Neil Josten, the better.

*******

The start of the new year was hectic for Neil – new year, new school, new team. At least he no longer had to worry about a death sentence lingering over his head since he was officially Moriyama property, was where he ‘properly belonged’. Nathaniel Wesninski was officially signed to the Edgar Allan Ravens, even though Tetsuji had reluctantly decided that he’d keep the name Neil Josten and his striker position rather than cause even more drama than the news of his transfer.

Part of it was the fact that Neil’s father was about to be released from prison (which was being kept secret for obvious reasons), and the media had gone insane when Tetsuji had announced Neil’s transfer to the Ravens (and Nolan’s to the Foxes). He was grateful that he wasn’t allowed to speak to the press for the time being (‘busy’ transitioning to his new team), but the reprieve would only last until the 11th, when he played his first official game as a Raven.

When he stepped out before everyone as a member of the Perfect Court, in a black and red uniform bearing the number ‘4’.

He wasn’t ready, so wasn’t ready, something which Riko and the Ravens threw in his face every day… but Tetsuji had allowed him to switch back to playing as a striker. At least his time as a backliner had given him insight in how his teammates played, as did the insane amount of hours the Ravens spent out on court.

As did Tetsuji’s cane landing on his shoulders and back and thighs whenever he messed up.

As did Riko catching him in the showers or in his room, maniacal grin on his face and knives out if he felt that Neil needed taught a ‘lesson’.

Yet Neil was indeed learning – he had no other choice, after all. The Ravens were now his life, and if he was good at anything, it was adapting to difficult (impossible) situations. Playing full games for the Foxes and being on the run had granted him the stamina he needed to endure the Ravens’ ridiculous lifestyle, his love for Exy forced him to learn what Tetsuji taught and do his best to excel, his years of obeying his mother meant that he swallowed his pride and accepted the advice that Jean dished out.

Memories of the videos which Riko had shown him, of the people stalking Matt, Kevin, Nicky and Aaron in New York City, Dan with her little sister, Renee with Stephanie, someone threatening to spike Allison’s drink… that _monster_ hurting Andrew…. Neil thought of his teammates ( _former_ teammates) and forced himself to bow his head to Riko, forced himself to bite his tongue.

It meant less beatings and cuttings, less pain (relatively less pain) in the end, less nights of him and Jean stuck cleaning the court. Riko was smug at ‘winning’, at bringing him to heel, while Neil kept in mind that he was playing the long game.

The Foxes were safe, Jean no longer bore the brunt for his ‘stubbornness’, and Riko had backed off Kevin a little. Oh, the lunatic still ranted about showing up the Foxes, about proving his ex-partner a failure, but he seemed content on ensuring that the Foxes washed out in the playoffs rather than some outright attack against Kevin.

Kevin or Andrew.

Which was good, because Andrew had decided to block Neil’s calls, it seemed. Neil sat on his bed in the small room he shared with Jean and stared at the phone he’d been given as a Raven, his old one left behind (along with his keys). He’d left a brief message for Andrew, but when that had gone unanswered, tried once more to call the man and found himself blocked.

Somehow, it was such a typical _Andrew_ thing to do.

“You should be studying,” Jean said, busy at his desk doing homework while they had the time.

“I know,” Neil sighed as he set the phone aside.

“What is it?” Jean frowned and twisted around better to face him. “ _What’s wrong_?”

“ _I tried calling Andrew to see how Nolan’s doing_ ,” to see how Andrew was, “ _and found that he’s blocking me_.” Neil shrugged to show it didn’t bother him but guessed that he wasn’t very convincing.

“ _Worry about yourself_ ,” Jean chided before he frowned. “ _Nolan appears fine, judging from his interview the other day, while you know the Razorbacks will target you as the team’s weakest link_.”

“Yeah.” Wymack had allowed Nolan a few minutes with the reporters (nice to see the man didn’t have a problem with that rookie) in an attempt to placate them, where Nolan went on about how the Ravens were one of the best teams out there, but he hadn’t ‘clicked’ with their training methods and had jumped at a chance to play alongside Kevin Day after talking to Neil. He also mentioned he felt that Neil hadn’t decided to transfer on a whim, but that Neil really had excelled with the Ravens and, his differences with Riko aside, believed he was a better fit with the team and only agreed to the transfer when he knew they wouldn’t be hurt by it since Nolan agreed to swap places with him.

Neil suspected that the other striker appreciated being on a smaller team, being somewhere he received more attention.

Well, attention that wasn’t followed by some sort of abuse.

As for himself, he just… it would be nice to know that Andrew was all right after everything. But Neil supposed that it was too much to ask for after he’d ‘left’, after he’d joined the enemy. What could he say to that, really? ‘I did it to keep you and the others safe? To stop someone else from tearing you apart? I know you don’t value yourself at all but I do?’.

Andrew would just scoff and call him an idiot, would most likely say it was a good thing that he was gone.

Neil started when all of a sudden, Jean gave a light touch to his left shoulder. “ _Do your homework_ ,” his partner chided. “ _You don’t want to know what will happen if your grades slip_.”

“Okay.” Neil smiled at the poorly masked concern then went to grab his new laptop; he’d been allowed to keep his Spanish class as he’d been switched to a linguistic major upon his transfer, and the rest of his courses were along the lines of ‘easy’ general ones geared toward the student athletes.

He’d been told that next year, he would study Japanese, but he was already learning it from Jean and an app on his phone.

Soon enough, it was time for the last practice of the evening, so they saved their work and set the laptops aside. There were sneers directed his way in the hallways and the locker room (he no longer bothered trying to hide his scars while changing, not with the open showers and the new cuts and… and what was the point when he was a Raven now?), sneers which changed into anger and even grudging acknowledgement when he managed to score a couple points (along with even more bruises and a bloody nose) during the practice.

Jenkins and Federov had it out for him, while Hebig and Adams were more neutral now that he wasn’t a backliner anymore. Ivanova found him amusing, mostly because he was picking up Russian from her and usually scored points on Anders’ goal, not hers. Because he was the smallest player on the team yet refused to stay down.

The Ravens were by and far assholes, overachievers and arrogant (suddenly, Kevin made a LOT more sense)… but they were also the best Exy players Neil had shared court-time with (other than Kevin and Andrew), were dedicated and passionate about the sport. You either rose to their level or were beaten down and dismissed, and while he didn’t believe he’d become a true Raven (let alone Perfect Court) yet… he hadn’t let them beat him down.

He couldn’t when his failure affected Jean and the Foxes.

Tetsuji called an end to the practice after he managed to assist Riko with another goal; the team lined up before their ‘Master’, and Neil was surprised to only receive one smack of the cane along with an admonishment to watch his grip on the follow-through of his bounce throws (Raven drill #7) when others were ‘corrected’ more than that.

Assistant coach Akashi called out the instructions for the next day, when they’d be flying to Arizona to play the Razorbacks, and finally it was time to shower and go to bed. Somehow, Neil wasn’t surprised to find Riko by his locker once he (and Jean) were clean, and forced himself to contain his temper. “Yes, King?” Throw the bastard a bone and maybe they would get to sleep sometime that night.

Riko grinned, the expression similar to a shark opening its maw. “See, Lev, all it takes is the right knowledge and anyone, even a rude bastard, can be made to bend the knee. Isn’t that right, _Josten_?”

“Yes, King,” Neil repeated as he bowed his head, as he thought about wrapping his hands around Riko’s neck and squeezing hard, about not letting go until that smug face darkened from the lack of oxygen and eyes reddened from burst blood vessels and- he struggled to contain the awful temper that was his father’s heritage. Beside him, Jean bowed his head, too, and leaned slightly against Neil in both silent partnership and censor.

“But it’s more fun when they fight back,” Federov whined while he gazed at Neil in a hungry manner; Neil remembered the man crowding him in the shower, him asking Riko if he could ‘play’ with Neil, and felt Jean stiffen next to him. “When are you going to give him to us?”

Jean stifled a harsh breath while Riko seemed to consider that for a moment then shook his head. “No, there’s things to take into account with this one.” He reached out to tug on a damp lock of Neil’s hair – his now auburn hair. “For now, as long as he continues to obey, he’s off-limits.” Then his eyes narrowed as he yanked hard on Neil’s hair. “After the game tomorrow, which you will do well in, you’ll talk to the press. You know what to say, right? It would be a shame if that one video you saw was leaked onto the internet, especially after a couple of edits.”

Neil couldn’t help but stiffen at the threat, not when he realized that Riko would use the video of Proust and Andrew, would probably edit it in some way to lessen the fact that Andrew had been the victim in it. Yet as much as he wanted to snap the bastard’s neck, to rid the world of something so sick and vile, he forced himself to do nothing but nod. “Yes, I do.”

“Good.” Riko was quiet for a moment then grabbed a handful of Neil’s hair to force him onto his knees. “You dare do anything to embarrass me, #4, I will make you and Jean regret it until you beg me to end your miserable lives, do you understand?”

His neck extended as he was forced to look up at the psychotic bastard, Neil barely resisted the urge to spit and instead gave the desired answer. “Yes, King.”

Riko scoffed as he yanked once more on Neil’s hair then let go. “Those pathetic losers aren’t even worth it, yet you grovel for them – for a disgusting maniac, a stubborn fool who doesn’t know his place, and a bunch of talentless rejects.” He gave a kick to Neil’s right thigh then walked away; Federov paused for a moment, his gaze lingering on Neil until Jean cleared his throat in a loud manner.

Once they were gone, Jean helped Neil stand so they could get dressed and leave as well. “ _Perhaps you have a brain after all, you’re finally learning_.”

Neil grimaced, and not from the all the new bruises. “ _I’m about to bang my head against the wall in hopes of erasing the misery of the last few minutes from it_. Ow.” He glared at his partner, who’d just smacked him on back of his head. “That wasn’t hard enough, but thanks anyway.”

“Don’t tempt me,” Jean muttered before he pulled on his shirt. “ _You know you had to do it, you stubborn fool. Are you that eager to bleed again? Won’t be happy until you’re completely covered with scars_?”

“ _Hmm, but you’re so good at stitching me together. Have you thought of a career in fashion?”_ Neil bit into his bottom lip as he managed to dodge the swipe at his head while he hopped into his pants.

“ _This is all some diabolical plot by the Foxes to drive me insane, I’m certain of it,”_ Jean muttered as he gazed into his locker as if it contained the secrets of the universe. “ _It’s the only hope they have of ever winning – you’re going to switch from team to team until they’re all broken from suffering your hideous presence_.”

Not bad, though Neil would think it was more any team having to suffer Riko, really. “ _You adore me, really. I know that because you haven’t smothered me in my sleep yet_.”

“ _Do **not** give me any ideas_!”

Jean wasn’t Andrew, wasn’t Matt… but Neil still felt something warm in his chest when he saw a rare hint of a smile on the man’s lips, a bit of light in his pale grey eyes. They’d been forced together and had no choice but to trust each other, to have each other’s backs… but Neil was surprised to find that he _did_ trust Jean.

Jean was simple, really – he was Moriyama property and so had few choices. He obeyed or he paid the price. He played well or regretted it (even more-so than the rest of the Ravens). He had no freedom and few options, and did whatever he had to in order to retain what little sense of self he had after so many years in the Nest (as Riko’s chew-toy). He wasn’t sadistic, like the Moriyamas, didn’t abuse whatever ‘power’ or ‘authority’ came along with him being #3 (precious little) – he was Neil’s senior partner and someone adapt at surviving the whims of a psychopath so Neil followed his lead.

On the 11th, Neil got up, went to the abbreviated work-out along with Jean and the rest of the Ravens, ate the approved breakfast (and told himself to stop thinking about how Andrew would hate it) before attending his two classes of the day. As always, there were curious stares and hushed whispers when he was out on campus with Jean, but the Ravens were left alone by the ‘normal’ students.

The Ravens participated in an abbreviated practice and review session before they left for the airport, where Neil was aware of the attention focused on him as he was off campus for the first time since New Year’s Day (when he had returned from PSU). However, the Ravens formed a circle around him to prevent anyone from approaching, with Riko only too happy to circumvent any reporters who showed up and tried to ask questions.

It was the same upon arrival in Arizona, but the Ravens again blocked everyone from Neil; they may barely be able to stand him most of the time, but the Ravens banded together against everyone else, stood united as a team unless they were tearing each other apart for a higher rank. If there was one thing about the Ravens which reminded Neil of the Foxes, it was how they could withstand so much, only to break down from within (mostly).

Tetsuji wasn’t one for ‘pep’ talks, other than to tell them that either they won or were nothing; it was much preferred to Riko grabbing Neil by the throat and ‘reminding’ him about how much it would cost Neil to fail. It didn’t do much for his nerves but when the time came to go out on the court, Neil forced everything from his mind except the need to do well, to score enough points and not make a fool of himself.

Most of the people in the packed stadium were there to watch the home team play, but there were spots of black and red scattered about, the Ravens’ dedicated fans showing up for the game. Neil sat out half of the first quarter and was surprised at the cheers (along with some boos) which greeted him when he was subbed in for Jenkins.

As Jean had predicted, the Razorbacks did their best to knock him out of the game, to take advantage of the fact that he was a freshman and new to the team, but he’d spent most of the last semester working up to full games, to playing teams who looked down on the Foxes as the worst team in the division and him as a no-name rookie who didn’t deserve his spot in collegiate Exy. While he wasn’t fully ‘meshed’ with the Ravens yet, he had Jean at his back and less issue working with the dealers, and knew to give his full support to Riko (or else).

He also knew how to take the abuse, the hits and slams, and not go down (or at least not stay down), to dish it out as well (especially after the last few weeks with the Ravens). Before he was pulled from the first half, he helped Riko with four points, Federov with two, and scored two of his own goals. Tetsuji gave a slight nod of approval as he joined Jean on the bench, and Riko was in a good mood during half-time.

By the end of the game, he got three more goals and several more assists, enough to satisfy Riko. He was also sore as hell, but he wasn’t bleeding anywhere so he considered it a ‘win’ and braced himself to deal with the press.

As expected, the first question was about his relationship with Riko. “Why did you transfer to the Ravens when there’s reportedly been several incidents of you fighting with Riko, and you expressing a… let’s call it a difference of opinion with him?” a reporter from Exy World asked while several others in the room nodded along.

Neil forced himself not to grimace as he pushed back his sweaty bangs. “I’ll admit that Riko and I don’t always see eye to eye on things – some of it is what I’ve heard about him, which I now feel is in part because there’s a lot of jealousy out there due to how good the Ravens are. And I’ll also admit that Riko and I are just two very different people, not everyone is always going to get along, but we’ve a common ground in that we love Exy.” Beside him, Riko groaned a little and rolled his eyes, but nodded along with the last part. “Riko understands that, which was why he extended the offer, him and Coach Moriyama, to have me practice with the Ravens over the Christmas break. I almost turned it down, but in the end I wanted to find out for myself if I was being so hard on the Ravens because everyone else’s opinions or if there was more to it.”

“As you can imagine, it was rough the first few days,” Riko said with a grin. “Bit of a learning curve on both our parts, but obviously we saw a lot of promise in each other.”

“Yeah.” Neil managed a false, cheerful smile (he’d had a lot of practice over the years) and nodded. “I’ve learned so much from Kevin Day, which is what’s helped me to play so well. It wasn’t easy to leave the Foxes, but I honestly feel that it’s what Kevin taught me as a Raven that’s brought out my skill, and the only way I’ll continue to improve is as a Raven.”

“It worked out well then, that the Ravens had a player who wanted to transfer the same time that you did, didn’t it?”

“Yes, it did. I’m not sure if I could have gone through with the transfer mid-season like this if Nolan hadn’t confessed that he’d wished he’d signed with a different team,” Neil lied (continued to lie). “I owe a lot to the Foxes, I won’t deny it, and I wouldn’t have left them in a lurch like that.”

He wasn’t certain that everyone in the room believed him, but what could they do? They’d let the fans tear at him over his words, his actions, like they were already doing; a lot of the Foxes’ fans were upset with him, while the Ravens’ were waiting to see how well he played and if he’d start badmouthing Riko again.

Someone asked him about his ‘new look’, to which Neil merely smiled and said that he’d been going through a phase before he joined the Foxes. Before someone else could follow up with what he meant by that, Riko cut them off and said that he needed to get back with the rest of the team.

Neil was more than happy to leave.

At least he was reasonably certain he hadn’t said anything to upset Riko or Tetsuji, that he’d closely stuck to the answers he’d been given to the possible questions. More than likely he’d be asked similar ones for a few more games, but it was a start; he’d shown that he’d willingly transferred to the Ravens and was happy with the team.

(He hadn’t begged for help or to be rescued.)

Jean had a clean set of clothes waiting for him when he stepped out of the shower, yet Akashi informed them that they wouldn’t be returning to Charleston with the rest of the team. No, a smug Riko (always pleased when he received attention and adulation), told them that they’d spend the night in Tucson before they went to Austin the next day.

Austin, where the Foxes were supposed to play the University of Texas; Neil and Jean shared a quick look before they nodded in acceptance and meekly followed their ‘king’ out to the SUV which waited in the parking lot.

They didn’t need Akashi’s admonishment to stay in their hotel room that night, not when they could guess what would happen if they disobeyed (more pain and scars, those threats becoming reality against Neil’s friends). They promised to be good little… whatevers (prisoners, slaves, cowed beings - Neil could go on for a while) and order from room service while Riko looked up clubs on his phone.

(Neil fantasized about _him_ overdosing for a pleasant couple minutes).

He suspected they were in some resort hotel more because of Riko and trying to ‘lay low’ than as a treat for him and Jean, but wasn’t going to complain in the least; not even when they found out that their room, while possessing a nice sitting room and small kitchenette (with fancy coffee machine) and a full bath, only had a king bed.

“I can sleep on the couch,” Neil offered. “It’s better than some of the beds I’ve crashed on.”

Jean was quiet as he set his overnight bag (their gear had gone ahead with the rest of the team) down on the bench. “It’s big enough for the both of us,” he said in a quiet voice. “Especially since you’re the size of a child.”

Neil didn’t speak at first; he’d noticed how his partner appreciated his space, how he didn’t touch others unless necessary and so was mindful of boundaries with him. He thought about how there were similarities between Jean and Andrew and grew angry at times, especially when Federov and others made comments about Riko ‘giving’ Neil to them, when they crowded him and _touched_ him.

“I don’t mind the couch,” he said just as quietly.

“There’s no telling what Riko will do to us tomorrow, we need the rest.” Jean gave him an intent look. “You’ll have one side and I’ll have the other.”

In other words, Jean trusted him to understand it wasn’t an invitation to anything other than a good bed for the night, so Neil nodded and intended to show that he wouldn’t break the faith endowed upon him.

They ordered room service, something that wouldn’t get them into too much trouble with the team’s dieticians (for a moment Neil thought about his meals with Matt or the Monsters and sighed), then took turns soaking in the huge tub. Since they were both exhausted from the game and dealing with Riko, they went to bed early, with at least half the bed between them.

Despite being in a strange room and sharing the bed with someone else (someone not his mother)… Neil fell asleep quickly and slept through the night. Perhaps because he was in bed with someone else, someone he mostly trusted, someone he depended upon, who depended upon him in return.

He thought Jean appeared surprised to have slept so well when they woke up, and to find the sheets undisturbed between them. Then the backliner sneered about having ‘rights’ to the bathroom first and enjoyed another (shorter) bath before he indulged (abused) himself with the coffee machine.

After Neil enjoyed another soak as well, they ordered breakfast and lounged about in the room since they didn’t have to be downstairs (deal with Riko) for a few hours. It was a rare break from Exy and the Ravens, and if it wasn’t for the fact they’d soon be stuck with Riko and whatever he intended to inflict upon the Foxes soon enough, they’d enjoy it.

Too soon, they were dressed in black and red, in their Ravens jackets, and quietly followed Riko who smiled at everyone while pictures were taken as they boarded the flight to Austin. Officials at the university there fussed over them (over Riko) and showed them to the ‘VIP’ section, where they waited for the game between the Foxes and Longhorns to start.

“If they make it past the first round, they’re going to wash out in the death matches,” Riko proclaimed with a slight smile on his face.

Jean was quiet for a moment before he dared to speak up. “Kevin is stubborn and prideful, he’ll probably carry the team through the first round.”

There was a slight twitch on the right side of Riko’s face, most likely at the mention of his former partner. “He can only carry those rejects so far, especially since we’ve taken away his pet striker.” His smile strengthened as he stared across the court, at the people calling out his name and waving at him. “Myers is just another reject.”

Perhaps, but Neil would gladly change places with that ‘reject’.

It was around then that the Foxes came out on court to warm up, and it only took them a few minutes to realize that they had ‘special guests’ for their game. His attention riveted on his friend, Neil noticed when Andrew’s stocky body stiffened and he made an arrested movement as if to stalk over to the VIP box before he went over to stand in front of Kevin.

Of course, _Kevin_ was his main concern – Kevin and Aaron, not a liar who ran away.

Who did come over? Renee, smiling that serene smile of hers as always and hand extended. “Oh, how wonderful, you came to see us play?” she asked as she waited for Riko to shake her hand. “That’s so nice of you to support two ex-teammates like that.”

Riko gazed at her as if she was some foreign lifeform – and a disgusting one at that – a slight curl to his upper lip before he glanced aside.

Renee wasn’t dismayed in the slightest. “I’m sure Kevin and Nolan are delighted.” That was a blatant lie, since it appeared that Kevin was just talked out of a panic attack. “I wish we could return the favor and attend one of your games, but it’s a bit difficult during the week,” she said as she reached out to shake Jean’s hand; he returned the embrace in a tentative manner then pulled his hand back, the fingers curled inward.

Then she beamed at Neil. “I mean, we still support you, Neil. We miss you, but we understand that everyone has to find their own path.”

“I… I’m sure it’s not everyone,” he said as he gave her hand a quick shake. “And I’m where I belong now.”

“Yes, exactly,” Riko hissed. “He’s not a Fox anymore. Soon Kevin will come to his senses, too.”

“I think Kevin’s already made up his mind.” Renee’s smile took on an impish turn. “But maybe you’ll decide that you’re ready for a change and would do better as a Fox. We’re very accepting, you know.”

If he didn’t think he’d lose half his skin for it, Neil would burst out laughing over the look on Riko’s face right then, as if he’d just swallowed an entire rattlesnake. As for Jean, he whispered a heartfelt prayer beneath his breath, either for them or Renee.

“Anyway, I need to get back to my team. Don’t be a stranger,” she told Neil as she waved goodbye.

“Those Foxes are _insane,”_ Riko spit out once her back was turned; Neil very wisely kept any comments about pots and kettles to himself.

Kevin still appeared a bit rattled when the Foxes took their places on the court for the start of the game, but as soon as the buzzer went off, he was back in fighting form. It wasn’t the Foxes’ best game, not when they had to work Nolan into playing as much time on the court as possible, but they managed to win in the end.

Each time Kevin and the others scored, each time Andrew (back to playing an entire game while Renee helped the defense) blocked the goal, Riko’s hands would clench and he’d mutter beneath his breath. Stuck beside him, Neil and Jean grew more and more tense, well aware that a displeased ‘king’ did not bode well for them.

They went straight to the airport after the game, with Riko only sparing a few words for the reporters. There were lies about him wanting to support a former partner, along with how sad it was to see how far said partner had fallen and that his hopes of playing the Foxes in the semi-finals had obviously been dashed.

When someone commented that hadn’t Neil played some part in that by switching teams? Riko smiled and asked if it was Neil’s fault for wanting to play on a real team? A team with a future?

As soon as they were back in the Nest, Riko slammed Neil against the wall and slapped him twice across the face then punched him in the stomach before he turned to do much the same to Jean, who stood there to wait his turn. There were the usual rants about them knowing their place, about how they belonged to him, how he would _crush_ them and everything they held dear if they dared to defy them.

In other words, just another fun night at the Nest.

Jean broke out the ice packs once they were back in their room (never ‘safe’ in their room, not when there weren’t any locks, when Riko could come after them at any moment); Neil accepted it with a wan smile. “ _What did Renee give you?”_ he asked before he held it up to his bruising cheek.

Jean gaped at him in surprise. “ _What are you talking about?”_

“ _Renee slipped you something, what was it?”_ It wasn’t a knife, not big enough, and yes, Neil’s life was fucked when he actually longed for a nice, sharp weapon right then.

“ _You truly are frightening_ ,” Jean sighed before he sat down on the bed next to him and tugged something out of his pocket; it turned out to be a slip of paper with a phone number on it. “ _We… we talked during the last two banquets and… well, she’s nice_.”

Renee was ‘nice’, all right. Neil let out a slow breath as he rubbed his forehead, and supposed someone who’d been raised (or partially raised) by the yakuza might find someone like _Renee_ ‘nice’. Then again, who was _he_ to cast judgement when he’d been raised by a serial killer and someone from a long line of criminals? Who’d been taught to lie the moment he could speak, to lie and steal and be anyone other than himself? And those were his _good_ traits.

“ _She gave you her phone number_.”

“Yes.” Jean tugged on his bangs for a moment then sighed. “ _She talked about doing it at the winter banquet, but then you – ehm, the Foxes left before she could_.” He looked at Neil while he twisted the paper between his fingers. “ _Why? Do you think I shouldn’t? Call her, I mean_.”

For a moment, Neil almost said ‘no’, before he realized that the emotion which clenched inside of his chest and made it feel so heavy and cold was envy of all things. Envy that Renee wanted to talk to Jean when Andrew wouldn’t even _look_ at him. “ _No, call her_ ,” he told Jean with a slight smile. “ _She’s, she’s a sweetheart_.” His lips almost twisted around those words, an echo of what Nicky had told him once upon a time. “ _She probably wants to make sure you’re all right and to be your friend_.”

Jean didn’t speak for a few seconds as he stared down at the slip of paper. “ _And to find out about you, if you’re all right_.”

“ _I walked away from them, remember?”_

“ _It doesn’t mean they don’t worry about you,”_ Jean argued as he stood up so he could hide the slip of paper away in his desk.

But not Andrew, Neil thought as he stood up as well to get ready for the night.

This was his life now, where the only person who worried about him was Jean, a sometimes insufferable French bastard (oh what his mother would have to say about that), where most of the team would gladly take him out for his spot, his number, and a sadist enjoyed beating the shit out of him just to appease his own poor self-image.

Neil had tried to run from this destiny for almost ten years, only to give in to it in the end – all because he’d ignored his mother’s advice, had stopped running and dared to care about other people. Now he had to pay the price for that defiance, to suffer the consequences. _He_ had to – not Jean, not the Foxes. He would suffer Tetsuji’s abuse and Riko’s sadism, would bear the Moriyama yoke however long he had to… until his body wore out or they decided he was no longer of any worth.

At least he’d last out the year, would get to play Exy that much longer. Hell, maybe he’d even live out his twenties.

(All it would cost was his freedom and his soul and his body, but those had never really been ‘his’ in the first place.)

(It would be worth it if the Foxes were happy, if Andrew remained untouched, if Jean could smile once in a while).

(At least his mother wasn’t alive to see how much of a hopeless fool he’d become.)

*******

Andrew watched as the butt of the cigarette he’d just flicked into the air streaked to the ground like a falling star; maybe he should have made a wish but he knew better, didn’t he? Knew that such things never came true.

Knew that _they’d_ never leave him alone, would never stay away from his room, would never stop touching him, _hurting_ him.

Knew that he’d never have a real home, a real family, a real mother.

Knew that he’d never wake up to find that his life wasn’t one long, continuous nightmare and that he hadn’t been abandoned.

Knew that an improbable pipedream had been too good to be true.

A cigarette butt was just a cigarette butt, a liar was just a liar, and a broken, unwanted monster was just Andrew.

He inwardly scoffed as he went to have more alcohol, and somehow wasn’t surprised to find the fifth of whiskey was almost gone; such was his life. After draining the last of the alcohol, the bottle went the way of the cigarette.

There was the sound of shattered glass and voices raised in complaint, but Andrew ignored the noise with ease as he lit another cigarette, safe in his solitary sanctuary.

Only one person had ever bothered him up on the roof, and that person was long gone, had flown away to play games with a bunch of dirty birds.

Neil looked so damn good with auburn hair, the dark red strands somewhat tamed at last. Except there was that awful mark on his left cheekbone, right where Andrew had often thought about reaching out to rub his thumb along the sharp edge….

He wasn’t drunk enough, dammit – that or too drunk.

There was more alcohol downstairs, but then he’d have to put up with Kevin whining about how they’d barely scraped past the first part of the play-off season and so needed to practice and practice and practice even more, to listen to Nicky prattle on, and deal with the fact that Aaron had most likely gone off with the tramp since they were on campus that weekend.

He had yet to do something about that, perhaps would deal with it while the Foxes had a short break from silly games until the death match round, but… but Andrew was tired. Tired and bored with it all – stupid Exy and the addicts who seemed to live for it, brothers who couldn’t keep their word, teammates who couldn’t accept that people lied and ran away all the time.

So tired and bored.

Another cigarette was sent sailing through the air when the door to the roof opened; for a moment Andrew felt something clench inside his chest as he twisted around to spy who dared bother him when he clearly wanted to be left alone, and refused to acknowledge he was disappointed when he recognized Renee.

(That he was disappointed it wasn’t Neil.)

“Shouldn’t you be saying your bedtime prayers right about now?”

“I’m almost done with a paper for my Ethics class, I figured I’d take a break before I wrap up the conclusion,” Renee explained as she sat down on the ledge with an appropriate amount of distance between them. “Clear my head a little.”

“Check up on me,” Andrew said in a mocking tone. “As if I need it.”

“Well, I thought maybe you could use someone to talk to,” Renee said with that annoying smile of hers. “You seem lonely lately.”

“Do you think you’ll still be spouting such nonsense the entire way to the ground after I push you off the roof?” he asked as he knocked his heels against the building.

“Probably too busy praying.”

“Nonsense it is,” Andrew said with a nod.

Renee let out a long sigh while she pinched the small, silver cross she wore around her neck between her fingers. “I would think that you’d be in a better mood, considering we won our three games and it’s a Saturday night. Kevin has to be happy.”

“Kevin is going to be even more of a tyrant until we find out who we play in the next round,” Andrew predicted as he wished that he’d gone down for more alcohol after all. “We barely won the last three games, and now we’re on to the death match. If it’s any of the big three, he’ll need to be sedated. I volunteer to knock him out.” It was only fair, after all.

“Mmm, yes, I imagine it’s going to be rough since we only made it through because we were up against Belmonte and SUA instead of higher ranked teams,” Renee agreed. “Nolan’s working hard to fit in, but he’s not Neil.” Despite Andrew’s best effort, he tensed upon mention of the liar’s name, which Renee caught. “But that’s why Kevin wanted Neil on the team, and why the Ravens made sure to take him away.”

Andrew scoffed at that. “Neil was a runner from the start, all he needed was an excuse to leave and the Ravens gave it to him.”

“You don’t believe that or else you wouldn’t have made him one of yours,” Renee argued as she gave a slight tug on the cross. “He didn’t leave because he wanted to.”

“What, did he confess to you at the Longhorn game? When you saw him for all of two minutes?” Andrew gave her a derisive look before he reached for his pack of cigarettes. “You used up too many braincells on that paper, Christian Girl.”

“No, not during the game, but I’ve talked to him since then, him and Jean.”

Andrew almost dropped his lighter upon hearing that. “What? He can barely stand you.” Somehow, Neil knew what lay beneath Renee’s ‘good girl’ façade, had caught a glimpse of her past as Natalie Shields.

Renee ‘graced’ him with a pleased smile. “We were getting along better by the end of the year, especially after you left, and I’ve struck up a friendship with Jean at the banquets. In Austin, I gave Jean my phone number and he called me.” Her smile faded as she gazed out over the campus. “It’s not often because of their busy schedules and Neil’s always there when he calls so I can catch up with him, too. Mostly we talk about our classes.”

‘Mostly’. “And?” There had to be a point to this; Andrew hated that he was interested in knowing that point.

“And Neil always asks how the Foxes are doing, if everyone is all right.” Renee directed her gaze back at him, her expression solemn. “It’s obvious that he’s concerned about us, that nothing bad has happened again… especially with you.”

Nothing bad – like with Seth… or Drake? Andrew pushed the thought aside for the moment. “Anything else?”

“Just that during the last phone call, they didn’t talk long and something was off.” Renee once again clutched at her cross. “It was after the news of Kengo Moriyama being in the hospital. They didn’t play very long in their game against Yale, but when I asked, Neil merely made a comment about Tetsuji switching things around.”

“Neil’s a liar,” Andrew repeated, even as he remembered (ha) about how Kevin had freaked out upon hearing the news.

Kevin, who wasn’t stuck at Edgar Allan with his abusive partner anymore.

“He’s hiding something,” Renee said slowly, as if choosing her words with care, “but that’s true for many of us. There’s different degrees of lying, and precious few of us can say we’re completely honest.”

He inhaled from the cigarette several times before he deliberately flicked ash on her. “Go away.” Nothing else was said, but Renee knew him well enough that she merely nodded and left.

It wasn’t until he ran out of cigarettes that he went back to his room, and he would have returned to the roof the next day except that it rained; he remained in his bed until Kevin, the utter bastard, dragged him off to court. Once there, he sprawled out on a bench while the addict and Nolan abused a poor series of balls in the name of a stupid sport, determined to have the rookie ready to play an entire game in time for the death match. Wymack checked on the morons from time to time to ensure that Nolan didn’t blow out his arms, and walked away muttering beneath his breath whenever he left.

Andrew knew the feeling.

They wouldn’t find out until Friday which team they’d face in the death match round, so Wymack did his best to distract them with drills and exhausting practice for the week. It was enough that Andrew was ready to commit mass homicide by Tuesday, between Dan ‘encouraging’ everyone, Kevin ranting that the team needed to make more of an effort, Nolan going on about how the Ravens did everything so much better than the Foxes (he was more than welcome to go back to them) and Renee trying to get everyone to ‘play nice’.

He was tempted to just stand in the damn goal and not do a thing come their next game so they’d lose, and be done with everything.

Except he’d never hear the end of it from Kevin, except it would make a certain abusive, smug asshole much too happy, except he wouldn’t have the pleasure of throwing balls at a lying runner with false smiles and too blue eyes….

“You’re very quiet today, even more-so than usual,” Bee remarked during their weekly session. “Are you having trouble with the new semester?”

“I’m doing fine with my classes,” Andrew said after a sip of hot chocolate; Bee had bought a new brand, a dark chocolate one, and he approved. “Though it’s annoying to still be playing Exy.”

“I imagine that’s the risk one takes when one accepts a sports scholarship,” she answered with a smile. “I hate to break it to you, but you’re expected to do more than show up to a few practices and games; you have to produce a few shiny trophies if you can. Something about it looking good come recruiting and fundraising time, I hear.”

Andrew gazed at her over the rim of his mug for several seconds before he lowered it and clicked his tongue. “Oh Bee, how cynical of you. You almost have my respect now.”

“I’ll be sure to mark this day down, then.” She continued to smile as she settled back in her padded chair, almost the perfect image of a friendly matron who lived to dole out advice and not the super-observant shrink she was. “Now, do you want to tell me what’s really bothering you?” When he focused his attention on his drink, she pursed her lips for a moment. “Is it about Aaron? Or are you still upset about Neil?”

Part of him realized she was doing her thing, was gently poking to see if he reacted and would move on if he didn’t or told her to stop, but he was so tired of hearing _that_ name. Of being reminded of the person who’d left, who’d decided that Andrew wasn’t able to keep his word, couldn’t protect him – Andrew, who’d offered a key to his home and a spot alongside his family as if it was _nothing_.

(Ha, _nothing_.)

Someone who maybe, just maybe, had done something so incredibly stupid because he believed that _Andrew_ needed to be protected.

(He refused to grab his covered forearms, to wrap his fingers around the phantom pain left from long-healed bites.)

“Why can’t people get it into their heads that Neil is gone, that he left this place and so isn’t worth our attention,” he ground out as his hands clutched at the mug. “He’s not worth mentioning, let alone thinking about.” Yet all everyone did was talk about the liar – Matt, Nicky and Dan at practice, the media at games, Kevin, Renee and Bee at other times.

“For someone who wants everyone to forget about the young man, you seem to harbor strong feelings for him,” Bee pointed out as she set her own mug aside then folded her hands in her lap.

“If I feel anything at all, it’s contempt,” Andrew said with a slight sneer. “He proved himself to be a two-faced liar.”

“David doesn’t feel that way about him, and he’s the only one who talked to Neil before he left. Given your friendship with Kevin, I would think you’d be concerned when another friend left suddenly to join the Ravens.” Bee eyed him intently, as if waiting for a reaction.

“Neil isn’t and never was a friend.” He was an illusion, an impossible dream which had vanished in the end. “You can’t be friends with a liar.”

“And you can’t always tell the truth to a person for a variety of reasons,” Bee countered as she smoothed out the crinkled velvet material of her dark blue skirt. “Sometimes you’ve already given your word to someone else, which you have to honor. Sometimes you’re trying to protect a person or maybe yourself. Sometimes you feel you are telling the truth, at least from your perspective. Sometimes a lie is the lesser of evils.” A slight frown formed on her lips as she gazed at Andrew. “You have an interesting perspective on truth, but can you honestly say you always tell it? How many times do you lie by omission? Or with your clever little wordplays?”

Andrew thought about all the times that Neil had called him out on things, starting from when he’d noticed when Andrew had pretended to be Aaron. “We were talking about Neil.”

“So we were.” Bee gave a slight inclination of her head. “But I thought you didn’t want to talk about him anymore.”

This wasn’t going to be one of Andrew’s favorite sessions, oh no. “Why the change in hot chocolate?”

Bee smiled, the expression slight but sardonic, meaning she knew he picked the new topic on purpose but was willing to accept it. “It’s a new year, I thought maybe it was time to try something different, and I can tell myself it’s slightly better for us than milk chocolate.”

“So sad, when the shrink is more delusional than the patients.”

“It’s my own little way of empathizing with you,” Bee retorted as she got up to make another batch of hot chocolate.

And people called _him_ a snarky bastard.

The week didn’t get any better; Aaron wasn’t quick enough to grab his phone when he left it out recharging and Andrew caught the flash of Katelyn’s name on the screen (was the fool stupid enough not to give her a nickname at least?), which lead to a discussion (screaming on Aaron’s part) where he reminded his brother about the agreement between them. An agreement where Aaron stopped seeing the tramp or else.

“You’re a fucking asshole,” Aaron shouted as he grabbed his backpack so he could leave the suite, “an asshole no one can stand! Not even a loser like Josten could put up with you for more than a semester! Your only friend is someone who needs you to keep a psycho at bay, so you have to make sure the rest of us are miserable like you! Fuck you!” He gave Andrew the finger before he stormed away, while Nicky and Kevin pretended they didn’t heard a thing.

Just another night in the Minyard/Hemmick household, only unusual in that no one died. Yet. Andrew would wait and see if Aaron listened to him or not.

On Friday, Wymack informed them that they would play Vermont at PSU, which kicked Kevin’s Exy obsession into overdrive. Since Aaron wasn’t talking to Andrew, he was ‘kind’ enough to agree to another weekend on campus so the addict could practice more, which made Nicky whine about missing a night at Eden’s until a warning look made his cousin babble about video games and alcohol runs.

It wasn’t that Andrew cared all that much, other than he’d be stuck at court while Kevin and Nolan exhausted themselves being overeager idiots with sticks. No, he wasn’t in any hurry to see Roland again, not after Thanksgiving and Easthaven.

Not after Drake and Proust.

He just… he didn’t understand where Proust had gone, those last two weeks. Not when the man had taken such perverse ‘delight’ in their sessions together, in having new prey at his mercy, in making it known that Andrew was his the entire time he was stuck in Easthaven and potentially longer (‘oh, what a shame if it’s decided that you shouldn’t be released just yet’). All of that, only to vanish on a hastily scheduled vacation at the end?

Damn Renee and Wymack with their suppositions, with their ‘Neil’s worried about you/us’. Damn Neil and his ‘who will watch your back’ nonsense. Damn Kevin and his ‘he left because of you, to keep you safe’.

Damn Neil Josten.

Most of all, damn himself for not being able to stop thinking about a lying rabbit, a pretty pipedream with no sense of preservation at all.

Andrew stared at his phone and… it wasn’t regret, he didn’t believe in such a useless thing, but he wondered if he might have been a bit hasty in blocking then deleting Neil’s new phone number a few weeks ago. He didn’t need to hear a new set of lies from Neil, but it might be helpful to find out what was going on at the Nest, especially now that Kengo was sick.

Knowing Renee, she talked a bunch of useless crap with Jean. Probably asked how he was feeling and if he’d found God yet and if he liked puppies.

That was proven true when he brought up the matter a couple days before the game, as they sat together during afternoon practice. “Chat with some birdies lately?”

Renee frowned, which he doubted had anything to do with how Nicky had just flubbed a drill. “Yes, actually.”

When nothing was said for a couple minutes, Andrew clicked his tongue. “You’re the chatty one of this duo,” he reminded her.

“You said you didn’t want to hear about Neil anymore.” She tucked back a strand of hair which had slipped free from its short ponytail while she gave him a cool look. “Has that changed?” When he clicked his tongue again, she hummed a little. “It’s not good.” She turned back to the court, but he didn’t think she was looking at their teammates. “Neil asked again if everyone was all right and then didn’t say anything else, at least not in English. Jean didn’t talk very much either, and both of them… they sounded tired and worn down, completely different from how they’re like during interviews. There was a bit of French, as if they were debating something, but I couldn’t understand it. They do that a lot lately, slip in and out of it.” She smiled, but it wasn’t a happy expression. “They seem to be working well as partners.”

“And you seem to be useless.” Andrew wanted that to be known before he folded his arms over his chest and attempted to take a nap while he could.

So much for thinking that Renee might be the one _semi_ -useful Fox on the team of rejects.

As if to prove him right, the Foxes were stymied by the Catamounts during their game on Friday; by halftime, they were only leading by one point, which wasn’t enough of a gap to safely see them through the second half or to give them some leeway if they didn’t perform well in upcoming games. Nolan was learning from Kevin and improving from all their obsessive practices, but he wasn’t Neil – he didn’t have that fire inside of him which had made Kevin take a chance on a one season no-name striker, didn’t have Neil’s speed and instinctive grasp of where everyone was out on the court.

If something didn’t happen, then Vermont would regain that point and take the lead, especially since their defense was determined to block Kevin and Nolan from scoring any more in the second half.

Andrew motioned Nicky over during a pause in the game, and it didn’t take much to convince the idiot to do some ‘unnecessary roughness’ with the striker he’d been assigned to block. As much as Nicky claimed to be ‘a lover, not a fighter’, he enjoyed stirring up shit way too much in the end, and reveled in the mini-fight which broke out (and was stopped before he ended up with his ass handed to him). It got him red-carded, but it also broke the Catamounts’ concentration enough that Kevin smashed through their defensive line before the end of the third quarter.

It wasn’t the Foxes’ best game (it rarely was), but they won in the end, 7-4.

There was a party at Abby’s to celebrate them advancing to the next stage of the playoffs; Andrew let everyone else be drunken fools inside while he snagged a bottle of whiskey and Kevin’s phone so he could sit out on his car alone. After a few swigs of alcohol, he pulled up the Ravens’ game from the night before, which he knew a certain addict would already have watched.

Neil had improved in the last couple months, since Andrew had last played with him. He was even faster, his throws more powerful and precise (guess Kevin had been right about the heavier racquet), and he barely glanced around when throwing the ball as if he knew where everyone was already. That had always been something he’d been good at, yet it clearly had improved, that instinct – but was it an Exy talent or a survival one? Neil might not be the best at offense in a violent manner, but he certainly made sure to know his surroundings and how the fuck to disappear.

What was happening at the Nest that it had gone into hyper-mode?

What made him smile during interviews, to curb that (liar’s) wild tongue of his as he mocked the losing team yet only said good things about the Ravens and Tetsuji and Riko? What made his too-blue eyes so dull and flat?

Andrew cursed himself as he shoved the phone into the pocket of his hoodie rather than throw it away, as he had several swallows of whiskey. It was supposed to be the drugs, the fucking drugs, which had made him feel this way, which had made Neil the center of so many of his thoughts. Once the drugs were gone, Neil was supposed to be just one more useless Fox, one more pretty face to appreciate then ignore because too much hassle in the end, one more ‘nice’ thing Andrew couldn’t have (and for very good reasons).

He got a bit drunk that night.

It was rather pathetic how boring life could be, off meds and without an Exy junkie liar in it. Andrew got up, suffered through the morning workout, went to class, suffered through practice whenever he didn’t have a session with Bee (where she attempted to talk to him about Aaron and their deal, which never ended well), prevented himself from throttling a certain annoying twin who was still acting like a little shit over having to end his fling with a pom-pom waving tramp, and suffer even more hours out on court while Kevin and Nolan flung balls around.

So fucking useless.

Some of the Foxes (most of them, really) appeared to side with Aaron once they found out why they were fighting, not that Andrew gave a shit. Neil wasn’t there to pull shit like he had during Halloween, to try to make everyone ‘get along’, and Renee knew to back off when Andrew told her to butt out; she had ‘hers’ and he had his ‘monsters’. Aaron could rant and rave as much as he wanted about Andrew being a controlling asshole, but he also hated the Foxes, had also made a promise, so he was stuck sitting his ass in the dorms on the weekends instead of sucking face with the tramp.

They were all one miserable little family - wasn’t it great?

Especially when Kevin found out that Kengo Moriyama was back in the hospital, which meant that Andrew, Nicky and Aaron had to clean up after his latest bender. Which meant that Renee was all frowny-faced instead of smiley Christian Girl, and actually got a rare reprimand from Wymack about checking her phone during the morning workout session.

“You’ve never even met the man, yet you’re having a nervous breakdown over him? Pathetic,” Andrew said as he drove Kevin to yet another evening practice.

“It’s just… I know how Riko feels about him,” Kevin tried to explain as he picked at the fabric of his sweatpants with the fingers of his left hand – his _scarred_ left hand. “Even more than winning a gold for the US Court, he wants his father’s attention, his father’s _recognition_. If there’s a chance of Kengo dying without that happening? I don’t want to think about how he’ll react.”

“What do you care? You’re free of him.”

“Yeah.” Kevin flexed the fingers of his left hand while he stared down at it. “But others aren’t.”

Others, such as Jean Moreau and Neil.

(Why did everything come back to _Neil_?)

Andrew sat slumped in a bean bag chair and drank a couple beers while Kevin and Nolan (an unwelcome presence) watched the Ravens beat UW-Madison; he didn’t think it was his imagination that Neil was a little slower than usual at first, that Moreau needed a few seconds to regain his feet when knocked down by a particularly large striker. Kevin was unusually quiet while Nolan groaned or cheered or chattered away like a trained monkey during the game, not even making his usual comments along the lines of ‘this is how a _real_ team plays and why we need to do better’.

Andrew had a nightmare that night, which wasn’t unusual. Only that time, it wasn’t about Drake or Thomas or any of the bastards from his thirteen foster homes, it was about him being weighed down by Exy gear until he couldn’t leave his goal while Neil walked away, his orange and white uniform darkened to a black and red one dripping blood and ichor to the floor while he approached a triumphant Riko with a mouthful of jagged, sharp teeth.

Andrew didn’t wake up in a good mood, that morning.

They played the Nevada Tornadoes that Friday, another home game (no travel) at least; Nicky sat it out because of his red card, which meant that Andrew had to put some actual effort into the goal. Still feeling ‘off’ because of the nightmare, he was more than willing to ruin the evening for others, and took some satisfaction in ‘accidentally’ hitting a few players with his throws.

Renee was subbed in for Nicky, which left him in the goal for the entire game; it was between that and Kevin in a rare mood (perhaps inspired by the night before) that the Foxes somehow managed to tie with the Tornadoes by the end of the game. That left Kevin and Nolan to alternate taking shots on Nevada’s goal while an increasingly tired Andrew continued to block the goal, but Kevin (finally) came through in the end to score the winning point.

The Foxes had another two week break before the next game, another chance at the championship; Andrew slumped against his racquet as he watched Nicky run out onto court to hug his teammates, as Nolan jumped up and down in excitement, as even Aaron appeared to smile for a couple seconds. The Foxes were a bunch of happy idiots over their win… and all he wanted was to wash off the sweat, have a cigarette and a drink somewhere quiet.

To feel the warmth of a certain liar along his left side as they sat on the roof together.

Disgusted with himself, he didn’t see why he shouldn’t just end things and throw himself off the damn roof that night, except that it wasn’t high enough to promise a certain death and he had promises to keep.

Life did indeed hate him.

Which meant he had to endure a bitchy (bitchier) Aaron, a hyper-fixated Kevin, media on campus, and a solemn Renee who kept checking her phone.

Speaking of phones… some clever soul decided to send a countdown to Andrew’s, starting right after the Nevada game. Since he was clever, too, it didn’t take much to figure out that it seemed to indicate the Foxes’ next game on the ninth, when they would play the Binghamton Bearcats. That it was probably Riko or one of his Raven fanboy pets sending it as a sign when the Foxes were done for the season.

What didn’t make sense? Why the fuck Andrew would care.

Well, he could get some more sleep once the season was over. Andrew was more than ready to take a racquet to a teammate (Nolan was a perfectly fine option) just so he didn’t have to get up for the morning workout sessions anymore.

There was more ‘team bonding’ (that needed to come to an end very soon) on the night that the ‘big three’ were all set to play – the Ravens against Maryland, and Penn State against USC. Kevin actually gave up a night of practice to watch the games since it meant that for the first time in six years, one of the teams would be knocked out of the playoffs so early.

They wouldn’t be so lucky to watch Riko have his ass handed to him, but at least there would be pizza and appetizers on hand, and Andrew could sit on a comfortable couch instead of a bench all evening.

As expected, the Ravens won by a large margin over Maryland; the Foxes cheered when Neil scored a few points but otherwise booed for the rest of the team. There were grimaces as well when the commentators went on about how much Neil had ‘improved’ as a Raven and was living up to his place on the Perfect Court, how he’d chosen the right team in the end.

The somber mood grew when it was Penn State’s turn to lose to the Trojans; Andrew continued to munch on his jalapeño, pineapple and extra cheese pizza while Kevin rubbed his left hand and kept checking the cumulative point spread between the four teams, no doubt anxious that his beloved Trojans would be knocked out of the playoffs. Yet in the end, USC won so it was Penn State who was done for the season.

Lucky bastards.

As expected (again) when the Foxes were gathered together and not playing a game (sometimes even then), squabbling broke out; Kevin did his usual ‘this is how Exy should be played, you all suck’ bullshit after Dan got all ‘captainy’ (bossy as fuck) and Nicky opened his smart mouth in return and blah, blah, blah. Andrew kept out of it because there was no bloodshed or hands on his people (for once – that and he couldn’t be bothered to move at the moment), and once Renee finished guilting everyone into behaving (ah, such a _good_ Christian Girl), took his monsters home.

He was ready to bury his monsters – was ready to bury the whole damn team – the week leading up to the Binghamton game. Aaron had printed out a bunch of permission slips which he threw at Andrew’s face whenever he had a study group for one of his classes, Nicky was more of a moron than usual because of some disagreement he had with Eric (which always got worked out in the end, the two were disgusting like that), and Kevin was even more devoted to Exy than usual, to the point that he didn’t even notice when Andrew put on an incredibly historically inaccurate movie.

Andrew kicked the addict in the shin when Kevin paid more attention to his phone than to his lunch on Thursday, some interview with the Ravens (a smug Riko badmouthing their opponents and the Foxes). “One would think we were playing them tomorrow, not some team that’s never made it to the semi-playoffs before.”

“The Foxes have never made it to the semi-playoffs before,” Kevin muttered as he glared at Andrew, only to sigh when Andrew pointed at his plate of salmon and steamed broccoli (how revolting). “Our cumulative points aren’t good, we need to increase the point spread in our next couple of games or we’ll be out before then.”

Someone wasn’t asking much, were they? Andrew scoffed quietly before he threw half a fry into his mouth.

Kevin resumed glaring as he stabbed at the gross green stuff on his plate. “Dammit, we could do it if you put some effort in the game for once! Why can’t you take this seriously?”

“Why can’t you realize I don’t care?” Andrew countered as he used a fry to paint a frowning face with ketchup. “Nothing matters, especially this stupid game.” Why couldn’t more people realize that?

Especially a certain lying rabbit.

“It’s not just a game, it’s getting you to care about _something_ for once,” Kevin said with sudden weariness while he rubbed his forehead. “To take a bit of pride and satisfaction in something you spend so many hours doing. Can’t you understand that? Never mind that you could be one of the best, but how can you feel nothing for something that’s such a big part of your life?”

“Because like everything else in my life, it means _nothing_ to me.” Andrew gave him a blank look before he pointedly pulled out his phone and stared at it while he ate his fries; after a minute, Kevin got the ‘subtle’ hint and continued to eat his own lunch in silence.

Andrew sat in his usual seat at the back of the bus during the ride to Binghamton for the game and did his best to tune out Matt replaying Neil’s post-game interview where the liar tore into Notre Dame (he wasn’t that successful); it seemed that Riko had decided to fully unleash his new striker’s razor sharp tongue on the opposing team, much to the delight of the Ravens’ fans. Neil spent a good ten minutes verbally tearing into the team that the Ravens had just demolished on the court, only stopping when Riko laughed, patted him on the shoulder and ordered him off to the showers.

Neil had bowed his head and obeyed without a word, which stuck with Andrew; while the morons at the front of the bus chattered on about ‘classic Josten’, he was left with the impression of a smug circus performer who’d just pulled off a successful act with a half-trained panther.

As if that was a harbinger of things to come, the Foxes finally arrived at Binghamton after a much too long drive to find the stadium filled with fans only too happy to jeer and boo them the moment they stepped out on court. The Bearcats were as ‘charming’ as their fans, were only too willing to play dirty and pick fights once the game started, which the Foxes did their best to resist.

Renee did what she could to keep the gap between points as low as possible, while Kevin ran himself ragged trying to score goals against the Bearcats’ impressive defense. When it was Andrew’s time in the goal, he was half-tempted to put in his usual effort… until he remembered the dead look in Neil’s eyes and the annoying countdown on his phone.

He gripped his racquet in his hands and decided to fuck with Riko by shutting down the goal; it would be up to Kevin and the others if the Foxes scored enough points to win the game.

The Bearcats tried to stymie the Foxes, even attempted to pick a fight with Kevin which Matt and Nolan prevented before Andrew had to leave the goal, and Kevin managed to score the winning point before the final buzzer. If the Bearcats and their fans were unhappy with the Foxes before then, they were downright antagonistic with the outcome of the game.

‘Screaming for blood’ was putting it mildly.

Dan and Kevin went off for the post-game interview, while Wymack all but breathed down the team’s neck in an effort to hurry them up; Andrew had the impression that their fearless leader wasn’t in the mood to dawdle in such a welcoming location and couldn’t blame him. Despite securing another win (barely), the Foxes were subdued as they showered and changed, and appeared relieved when Dan and Kevin joined them at last.

As soon as everyone was ready to leave, they headed to the bus so they could return to PSU, and found that the stadium was still full of outraged fans. “What the hell?” Nicky muttered as a fresh wave of jeers and insults filled the air, then yelped when cups and even bottles were thrown their way. “Hey, can they do that?”

“Just keep moving,” Wymack said as he wrapped a protective arm around Abby’s shoulders; Matt did the same to Dan and Allison to Renee (how sickening, as if Christian Girl needed it), while Andrew motioned for his ‘monsters’ to gather together. “Where the hell is security?”

Some of the campus police hurried toward them as if summoned, but it didn’t do much good as more abuse, verbal and physical, rained down on them; the bottles were bad enough, but someone decided to throw coolers and anything that wasn’t nailed down at them. They weren’t even halfway to the parking lot when the Bearcats fans decided to get more personal.

Andrew shoved Kevin closer to Wymack while he swung at the asshole who grabbed Aaron, and managed to hold his own for a couple minutes. Unfortunately, it was him against dozens, and at some point, someone decided to smash something into his head (he thought it might be a cooler lid but wasn’t certain). Things were a bit blurry at that point, were fists and hits and kicks (he thought there was something in German about not using his knives), and then enough security _finally_ showed up to push back the bloodthirsty mob.

It just reaffirmed Andrew’s belief that pigs, no matter where they worked, were fucking useless.

Especially when he was done being examined in the ER (concussion, assorted bruises and contusions), he found out that the Foxes were more than a little tattered around the edges; Kevin had a sprained wrist, Aaron and Matt several broken fingers, Dan bruised ribs and all of them showed signs of being in a fight.

He had to wonder if the countdown _hadn’t_ been about them losing the game as he took in the Foxes’ battered condition during the somber ride back to campus, as he dwelled on how quickly things had gotten out of control in Binghamton.

Andrew spent the first three days of what should have been his spring break in Columbus sprawled out in one of Abby's spare bedrooms instead; he was close to comatose, as intended, but only because it hurt too much to raise his head or move around much, not because of massive amounts of alcohol and lazy intent.

Because some moronic Exy fans were upset about his team beating theirs in a stupid game.

Because he suspected a certain someone of moving on from being an abusive sociopath to a full-blown psychopath since Kevin was proving to have a will of his own.

Andrew was just a wee bit annoyed at the moment, especially when Abby didn't want him to drink due to a small thing like a concussion... and Renee had so 'valiantly' sacrificed her own spring break with her foster mother to help the woman tend to a broken pack of monsters.

He seriously considered shoving his ‘bestie’ off the roof the next time she came up to talk to him, especially when she pointed out how caffeine wasn't good for his headaches, either.

He got up on the fourth day, mostly so he could take a shower and raid the kitchen, and felt something dark and bitter flood his chest until it rose into his throat like viscous slime when he saw Nicky with his two black eyes, Aaron with his splinted fingers and bruised face, and Kevin with his wrapped right wrist.

No matter what the press or university officials said, someone had deliberately set out to hurt Andrew's people. Someone who didn’t know when to fucking stop.

Someone who supposedly had been threatening to do it for a while, according to a lying rabbit.

"I made a sausage and egg bake," Renee called out from the stove, where she seemed to be waiting for the kettle to boil. "Would you like some?"

"It's really good." Nicky motioned to the mostly empty plates on the table in front of him and others. "Now that you're here, we can get seconds!"

"There's more than enough." Renee smiled despite her split bottom lip and bruised left cheek, and plated up food for Andrew while he pointedly fixed himself a mug of coffee; he had to step out of the way of his brother and cousin rushing to the stove for more food, and clicked his tongue when Renee gave him a disapproving look over his choice of beverage. "Abby said you shouldn't have any for another day or two."

"Abby worries too much," Andrew murmured before he sipped his coffee, and glanced over to find Kevin giving him a stern look. "Shut up."

"We have a little more than two weeks before our next game, which isn't long for us to heal." Kevin held up his right arm then motioned to Andrew and Aaron. "If we lose it, we're done."

Wouldn't that just break Riko's heart? The bastard had said all along that the Foxes, that _Kevin_ , wouldn't make it to the semi-playoffs (let alone past the first round), and now he'd done something else to ensure that it would come true, since Andrew couldn't see how the team would be in prime fighting shape in time.

"We lose, we lose," he said as he picked up his fork and poked at the mix of egg, sausage, cheese and bread.

"Dammit, don't you care about anything?" Kevin ranted as he slammed his left hand onto the table, which made Nicky jump and take a step back from his chair and Aaron roll his eyes while Renee went still. "We can't lose!"

"Yes we can, we've done it dozens of time before," Andrew reminded as he broke his breakfast into small pieces. "I would think you'd know that by now, as well as the answer to your question." When Kevin opened his mouth to speak, he kicked him in the shin. "Broken and bruised bones, sprains, concussions," he rattled off as he stared Kevin down. "If we lose in our current condition? No one can say with a straight face that we were at 100% and it was a fair game."

"He's right," Renee quickly added as she rubbed her hands along her forearms. "We might be out of the playoffs, but people can't say we didn't give it our all or that we lost because of lack of skill. It was just bad luck and they'll be left wondering how far we could have gone if things had been different."

Kevin made a frustrated sound as he looked at both of his hands. "It's just... I hate the thought of losing this way. I wanted to go as far as we could, to prove...."

To prove to Riko and Tetsuji that he wasn't a failure, most likely, which was why Riko had pulled his little stunt when not even Neil leaving had been enough to knock the Foxes out of the playoffs.

"You've already proven yourself a success," Renee assured while she went to turn off the whistling kettle. "Look how much we've improved this season, thanks to you."

"Thought we had something to do with that," Aaron muttered between bites of his breakfast, which almost made Andrew huff in agreement.

"You could have better blocked at least seventeen shots on the goal during our last game, I don't want to hear it," Kevin sneered, apparently over his little sob fest; Andrew blanked out the ensuing 'you suck - no, _you_ suck more' fight that occurred while he ate his breakfast.

It wasn't the week of alcohol and fast food that he'd planned, yet it wasn't entirely all bad to have Renee and Abby (mostly Renee) cook food for them while Abby fussed over their injuries (from a safe distance, in Andrew's case) and yelled at Kevin whenever he whined about getting back on court. It was something different, at least, and should have been a quiet break - should have.

Then Renee woke Andrew up in the middle of the night. "If this is so I can hear the truth about your lord the savior, you're about to meet him in person," he mumbled as he shuffled back to bed upon finding her on the opposite side of the door, fully clothed for some reason.

"I need a favor," she said in a hushed voice as if worried about waking up everyone else (oh sure, she was concerned about _them_ ). When he grunted and gave a longing glance at his armbands, which rested on the nightstand, she held up her hands. "I need to borrow your car. I have to go to Edgar Allan."

_That_ cleared his aching head of sleepiness in a hurry. "Why? What's happened?" Was Neil running away again?

"Kengo's dead," she answered as she held up her phone. "Jean called me, he's panicked and doesn't know what to do. Riko...," rare anger, dark and potent, twisted her features when she said that name, "broke down when he found out about his father and that his uncle left without him for the funeral, and took it out on Jean and Neil."

Neil - the rabid bastard had hurt _Neil_ ; Andrew snatched up his armbands. "How badly is he hurt? _Neil_ ," he gritted out through clenched teeth when Renee just stood there.

"I don't know, I could barely understand Jean, he was that upset, just enough to know that Neil did something to fend off Riko and got them into a locked room. That was when Jean called me." She put the phone in the pocket of her dark grey jacket and held out her hands. "I'm going to get them. I need your car."

"You're not driving it." When she looked ready to argue, he shook his head (still not a good idea) and snatched his jeans from the floor. "I am."

A tired smile spread across her face. "You're going for Neil."

"I'm going for an excuse to kick Riko's ass," he insisted as he grabbed a hooded t-shirt to pull on over the tank top he'd worn to bed, then shoved his feet into the first pair of shoes he found (sneakers) as he collected his keys, phone and wallet. "Let's go. You're paying for coffee and gas."

"All right," Renee agreed. "I left a note, let me just add your name to it." She hurried out of the room, which gave him a minute to use the bathroom before they started their 'fun' little road trip.

It was mostly quiet during the four-hour drive to Charleston; Renee didn't give Andrew any grief over his obvious disregard for speed limits and even was helpful at calling out potential speed traps. There was one update from Jean as they neared the West Virginia border along the lines of 'still alive', which made her slap the phone down onto her right thigh in an obviously disgruntled manner.

"What's the plan here?" Andrew asked as he flew past some moron doing sixty-five in the fast lane.

Renee gave him a look as if _he_ was the moron for that question. "To get Jean and Neil out of the Nest before they're hurt even more."

People like her should come with bright, flashing warning signs so they could be avoided at all costs - her and Wymack and most of the Foxes.

"You expect to take in two more Ravens. I really do think that cross prevents oxygen from reaching your brain," he said as he shook out a cigarette.

" _One_ Raven," she clarified. "Neil's a Fox."

"Neil's a Raven, complete with the Perfect Court tramp stamp to prove it," he reminded her.

"He'll always be a Fox, and if you disagree, why are you with me?" She arched an eyebrow while he pointedly pressed his lips around the lit cigarette. "Why not give me the keys and go back to bed?"

"And miss my shot at Riko?"

"You could have gone after him at any point. Why now, when he's hurt Neil?" Renee continued to gaze at him for several seconds then nodded once. "You can claim he's not one of yours as much as you want, but you know that's not true. You're just hurt that he left before you could figure out your feelings for him."

"If you think for one second I won't shove you out of a moving car, keep talking," he warned as he accelerated the GS's engine.

For a moment it appeared as if she wouldn't listen and he'd have to explain how he 'lost' one semi-decent goalie while returning with a wayward striker after going out for a late night drive, then she cocked her head to the side and shut her mouth - gave him one hell of a smug grin, but her mouth was shut.

He almost went through with it after all.

She remained quiet until they reached Castle Evermore and found it locked up nice and tight - outer gates with cameras and the type of security that one didn't get around with mere lockpicks or guessing a pathetic coach's not so secret crush. "Well, Christian Girl?" Andrew drawled as he tapped his fingers against the steering wheel.

"One minute," she said as she looked up something on her phone; technically, it took her longer than a minute, but Andrew kept that to himself as he drank his double mochaccino and ate the donuts she'd bought him before they'd headed to campus.

He'd just finished the chocolate creme-filled one when she placed a call to someone who turned out to be Edgar Allan's President Aldrich, who didn't sound happy to be woken up at 6:30 am. He especially didn't sound happy to have someone inform him that a bad case of hazing had occurred on his campus, specifically involving a very famous Exy team, and Renee would go public with her accusations if he didn't come to the stadium right then to help her put a stop to the abuse.

Andrew clicked his tongue when she hung up a couple minutes later, after the dean swore that he was on his way to prove to her that she was wrong. "I am almost impressed."

"I've learned a few things from Stephanie over the years," she admitted with a pleased grin. "I debated going into journalism myself as an investigative reporter, but I much prefer social work."

“Well, save being Mother Theresa reborn for a little longer, because I don’t think the whole ‘peace and love for the world’ crap is going to cut it in there,” he said as he nodded toward the Nest while he tugged on the end of his left armband.

“I’m hoping it won’t come to that, not if Aldrich is with us, but I won’t let them continue to hurt Neil and Jean.” She was quiet for a moment while he stared at the locked entrance. “Somehow, I don’t think you’ll allow it, either.”

“I’m not going back empty-handed after driving all the way here.”

“Why is it so hard for you to admit that you care for Neil?”

“I have no problem leaving you behind, though,” he stated as he clenched his right hand into a fist.

Renee shook her head while she checked her phone. “You’re going to have to figure something out, because soon enough you’ll be face to face with him again, and you can’t ignore him when he’ll be coming back with us.”

Andrew should have thrown her out of the car when he had the chance, dammit.

*******


	2. Chapter 2

*******

Neil bared his teeth as he snatched the ball from Emery and ignored the curses shouted at him from the offensive dealer; he knew that Lev was only a few steps behind him and would do his best to take the ball away (to knock him down) so he put his speed and ten steps to good use.

Riko was open and clearly expecting to be thrown the ball, and for a moment Neil almost ignored him; rage flooded through him as he remembered what had happened to the Foxes at Binghamton, the images of his friends bruised and beaten. His hands clenched around the racquet he wanted to bring down to shatter the bastard’s skull, to smash against his neck… but Jean’s worried voice filled his head and dampened his awful temper enough that he could fling the ball without aiming it to do harm.

Riko flashed a smile as he caught it, the last thing Neil saw before Lev barreled into him in an illegal tackle, but it was a practice session so all Tetsuji did was call out a warning while the asshole ground his hips against Neil’s backside for a couple seconds then got up with a perverted laugh.

Jean _really_ should let him crush someone’s windpipe one of these days, dammit.

Tetsuji was going over how everyone had done during practice (beating them for their mistakes) when Ito came out to whisper something to him; he paused in caning Jacob then gave the sophomore backliner two more smacks before he called out for the freshmen (excluding Neil) to clean the court as he left with the assistant coach.

The team gave their coach a respectful (if confused) bow as he walked past, several of them (not Neil or Jean) granted an unexpected reprieve by his early departure. However, they were too well-trained (and aware of Riko’s presence) to say anything out loud – at least in public.

“ _Main branch stuff_?” Neil mused once he and Jean were back in their room. “ _Or Kengo’s sick again?”_ He winced at that, since Riko never reacted well when his father ended up in the hospital.

Jean winced as well. “ _One hopes not. Maybe it’s something to do with a recruit, since he’s supposed to go see a couple this week_.”

For a moment, Neil wondered if Wymack was busy recruiting for the Foxes before he pushed the thought aside. “Maybe.” Somehow, he doubted they’d be that lucky.

Especially when he had the feeling that something was going on, something that Riko and Tetsuji knew about and were hiding from him. The Ravens had watched the Foxes play the Bearcats on Friday and caught news of the riot at the stadium during the post-game review. Riko hadn’t been happy when the Foxes had won yet another game (if barely), yet he’d been oddly pleased about the post-game violence even if most of the Exy world was aghast over the fans’ behavior.

Neil was just relieved the Foxes weren’t badly hurt, even if it sounded as if some of their injuries would impact their next game. What he didn’t understand was why he and Jean were unable to access any news with their phones or laptops after Friday night. He’d panicked at first that the Foxes (that _Andrew_ ) were injured worse than he’d been led to believe, but Jean checked with Renee and found out that it wasn’t true.

What was it that the Moriyamas didn’t want him to know?

He pondered that while he paid careful attention to Riko during dinner, and noticed that his ‘king’ was distracted, which might not be a good thing for him and Jean. Riko spent a lot of time on his phone, a frown on his face as he texted something, which made Jean frown as well.

They ate their dinner quickly and retreated to their room.

Not that they were safe there, were safe anywhere in the Nest, which was proven to them when Riko burst into their room with Lev and Mike at his back at some point in the night. A light sleeper, Neil woke up as soon as he heard the door open and was half out of his bed by the time the three were inside, but there wasn’t much he could do without a weapon and once Lev and Mike grabbed him. That left Riko free to target Jean, who of course didn’t fight back.

He never fought back, not anymore.

The psychotic bastard muttered something in Japanese as he backhanded Jean then grabbed at his hair; Neil was only at a beginning level with Japanese, but he’d listened to enough rants to recognize ‘belong to me’, ‘obey’, ‘property’ and the usual bullshit which Riko spouted whenever he went on one of his abusive rampages, especially whenever he felt slighted. Especially whenever his father was ill.

Or… oh shit, that was the word for ‘dead’, wasn’t it? Apparently, Kengo was dead.

Which explained why this time it was _bad_ , because it wasn’t just a few punches or cuts, it was him beating the shit out of Jean; when he actually broke a couple fingers, Neil couldn’t hold back any longer. “Stop it, you fucking waste of flesh,” he shouted as he struggled against the hands holding on to him.

“Oh, you’re going to be mine yet,” Lev taunted as he jerked Neil against him.

“Fuck off,” Neil snarled as he kicked back and hit the asshole in the knee. “And fuck you, you worthless bastard,” he continued as Riko pulled away from Jean with an awful expression on his face. “No wonder your father threw you away, you’re a reeking piece of shit! Not even worth the effort to snap your neck and bury you, just toss you aside like trash!”

“No, don’t-“ Jean choked out, which earned him another slap from Riko before the bastard ‘grinned’ at Neil and approached with the bloody knife held out.

“Always that smart mouth, Nathaniel. I think it’s time to cut that tongue out,” Riko said while his dark eyes glittered with madness.

“You can silence me, but it doesn’t change the truth. Your father was so ashamed of you that it killed him,” Neil continued to taunt; the more focused Riko was on him, the better it was for Jean. The more enraged Riko was, the less he used his head.

If there was one thing Neil had learned from his mother, it was that emotional people were stupid people.

Of course Riko took the bait; Neil braced himself for the slashes across his chest, for the cut across his right cheek before Riko settled for beating him senseless then followed through with that whole ‘cut out your tongue’ thing. Neil waited until Riko set aside the knife and backhanded him a few times, until Mike loosened the hold on his right arm and shoulder and shifted back (away from Riko’s wild swings) to call out to Jean.

“ _Get ready to run_.”

Jean, slumped over in pain, gave him an incredulous look but straightened up, which was all the sign Neil needed before he groaned and rocked to the left as if off-balance, the same time he swung his right foot back with all his might to hit Lev’s knee again.

As the backliner screamed in pain and let go, he yanked his arms free and swung his right one at Riko with all the force he could muster. The bastard was utterly unused to people fighting back and took the hit right on the nose; Neil felt intense satisfaction as it broke and followed up with a roundhouse punch to the gut which left Riko doubled over.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t stay any longer, not with an incredulous Mike making a grab at him, so he gave a solid kick to Riko’s side then went running after Jean after he grabbed the knife and his sneakers. Once they were out the door, he slammed it shut behind him and used the knife to jam it closed; it would only last until someone pried it free, but it should buy them a little time.

“ _You’re insane_ ,” Jean declared as Neil ran ahead of him. “ _He’s going to kill us now!”_

“ _Maybe, maybe not_.” He motioned for Jean to follow. “ _But that would attract a lot of attention, I’m thinking_.”

“ _You’re not thinking at all_!”

Neil rolled his eyes at that as he raced toward the nearest break room, where he hastily grabbed several bottles of water and as many energy bars as he could, and was pleased to see Jean do the same, then headed to the medical room.

Jean, bleeding and in obvious pain, stood guard while he used the lock picks hidden in his shoes (old habits died hard) to break into the room, while there were muffled voices down the hall to indicate that Riko must have called for help. As soon as Neil got the door open, he shoved Jean inside, slipped in himself then locked the door. Aware that Riko or one of Tetsuji’s assistants could track down a key, he spent a couple minutes barricading the door as a backup. While he did that, Jean called someone (he must have grabbed his phone before they left the room).

“Renee?” Neil asked once he was done securing them a safe place for the time being.

“I want someone to know how my impending death is partially your fault,” Jean said with an offended sniff as he set the phone aside.

Neil was quiet as he gathered the necessary medical supplies to tend to his partner. “He wasn’t going to stop, you know. Not when he was like that.” He would have continued until Jean truly was broken… and probably would have then given Lev and Mike a ‘turn’.

It had taken some time, but Neil had figured out some things during his stay at the Nest, between what had happened to Andrew at Easthaven and Lev’s constant harassment. After all the warnings from Jean and the way his partner disliked being around other Ravens – especially the male Ravens.

Some days it was easier than others to understand how his father could slide a knife into people until they were nothing but meat and bones to be hacked apart.

The disdain on Jean’s handsome face melted away as Neil set down the medical supplies. “I know, but this is only a reprieve.” He sighed when Neil gave a light tug to his cut and bloodstained t-shirt in an obvious sign to remove it. “What do you think is going to happen next?”

Neil answered while he washed his hands. “We need to hold out until Tetsuji returns.” At Jean’s dubious look, he shrugged and pulled on a pair of rubber gloves. “Like I said, it’ll attract too much attention if something happens to both of us, especially since the media’s already focused on me since I transferred, and there’s the whole Kevin thing, too. Add to that Kengo’s death? I believe that Tetsuji would want to avoid any scandal even if Riko’s his nephew.” He’d probably be in trouble for punching Riko, but Jean should be all right, and Tetsuji would punish him in a way that wouldn’t impact the rest of the season.

Neil could handle pain, could endure a lot, so long as Jean and the Foxes were all right.

Jean waited until the cuts on his chest were stitched closed to speak again, as if considering Neil’s hastily put together plan. “You think we can hold out that long?”

“Probably.” They had water, both bottled and tap, and the bars, so they would be fine for a few days. He didn’t think Tetsuji would be gone for too long, not during the championship season.

He did his best to set Jean’s fingers and thought they would heal fine, and checked the rest of his friend’s injuries (bruises, split lip, black eye, two bald spots where hair had been yanked out). Once Jean was patched up to the best of Neil’s ability, they switched roles.

Neil winced as his cuts were cleaned and stitched closed, but Jean had a steady hand (despite the broken fingers) and finished quickly. For the rest, there wasn’t much to be done other than take a few over-the-counter painkillers and get as comfortable as he could while he made Jean sleep.

At some point, someone thought to check the room for them and tried to force the door open; the chair jammed beneath the doorknob and the half-bookshelf pushed against it held, though, so they were still safe. Neil heard shouting from behind the door, probably Riko ordering to let him in, which he easily ignored.

“ _We’re dead_ ,” Jean murmured as he gave a gentle rub at his non-blackened eye. “ _I’m about to die in the presence of a madman_.”

“ _You could only be so lucky_ ,” Neil informed him.

“ _I’ll consider myself lucky if I can watch you die first_.”

The French bastard couldn’t be that injured if he was able to insult Neil like that, Neil thought with a wry smile.

After a few hours, he was beginning to regret that he hadn’t grabbed something with caffeine in it, even though there weren’t many options on hand; he was growing tired but didn’t want to sleep when Riko might try to force his way into the room. A few of their teammates had sent anxious texts to Jean asking if they were all right and what was going on, though no one offered to help other than to warn if Riko was headed their way. Neil couldn’t blame them, not when it would risk their scholarships and chance at a pro career to stand up to Riko… or worse.

Their teammates might not know everything that went on at Castle Evermore, but they knew enough that the Moriyamas (that Tetsuji, at least) could make or break an Exy career, and that Riko was unstable as hell. They also had given their all to be Ravens, to be ‘the best’, had suffered through Tetsuji’s demanding (abusive) training regiment and so had rather… dubious takes on what was considered ‘normal’ anymore.

Brainwashing, what a wonderful thing.

(Neil knew that he couldn’t really throw stones in that regard, considering his upbringing, considering his father and mother.)

He was debating how painful doing jumping jacks would be and how much the pain would help him stay awake versus the risk of torn stitches (and how much Jean would berate him) when Jean’s phone rang. Jean scrambled to answer it, since the ringtone was a familiar one, was Renee’s.

“Yes? I told you that we’re still- what? What?” Jean appeared flummoxed, which was a rare sight indeed. “ _Holy mother of_ – what do you mean, you’re here?”

Neil felt a bit flummoxed himself. “What the hell?”

Jean made a slashing motion through the air to silence him. “You can’t be here, you- Aldrich? Are you insane?” That was the closest to screeching that Neil had ever heard from his partner, but all thoughts of mocking left him as he considered _Renee_ and _President Aldrich_ in the **Nest**. “You are… no, _no_!” Jean shook his head several times, which prompted Neil to snatch the phone from him.

“-it’s going to be okay,” Renee said in a soothing voice. “Just tell me where you are, no one’s saying a thing.”

“You’re actually here? What the fuck, Renee!”

“Neil? Are you okay?” Renee sounded happy for some reason. “Where are you?”

“Somewhere safe. Get the hell out of here before Riko kills you!” Part of him was touched that she’d come to the Nest for him and Jean, but what the _fuck_!

“It’s okay, he’s not here,” she told him. “We came to-“

“Stop hiding, rabbit.”

_Andrew_. That was Andrew’s voice. Neil’s heart pounded in his chest to hear the man’s deep, apathetic voice (when he wasn’t high on the drugs), to know that _Andrew_ had come with Renee.

(Probably to strangle him before Riko could, but still….)

“You’re here?” Neil whispered, still stunned to hear Andrew’s voice after so long.

“Yes, so tell us where you are.” A hint of impatience crept into Andrew’s blank tone.

“Ah… medical room,” Neil admitted while he fended off Jean from snatching back the phone. “Hall 4b.”

Andrew clicked his tongue. “Like that means shit to me,” he said before he hung up.

Andrew was here. Andrew was here with Renee, Neil thought as he tossed the phone to Jean, who stared at in disbelief for a moment. “Uhm, guess we should go open the door for them. Renee said that Riko’s gone.”

Jean gave him an odd look for a moment before he closed his eyes. “She’s here, with Aldrich.” He sounded confused, as if he had never thought for a moment that reaching out to her would lead to this – hell, Neil never thought that she’d dare to come into the Nest for them.

He never thought that _Andrew_ would come to the Nest for them (for him) after he’d walked away.

“ _What are we going to do?”_ Jean asked as they moved the bookcase and chair blocking the door.

“ _I… let’s see what happens,”_ Neil told him as he stared at the locked door. “ _We still need to wait for Tetsuji_.” It would be better if they were somewhere safe from Riko, somewhere more secure and comfortable than the medical room.

Jean regarded him with what he probably thought was an impassive demeanor, but Neil could pick up on tension in his body, the way his uninjured right hand clutched at the scrub top he wore. “ _You’re… are you going back to PSU with them_?”

Neil wrinkled his nose as he dusted off his hands (and tried not to think about how much his ribs ached). “ _How can I when I’m a Raven_?”

“Oh.” Jean’s shoulders slumped the tiniest bit before he caught himself. “ _Of course, I should realize that I’ve been properly cursed with you. I’m not lucky enough to see the back of you just yet_.”

“ _You bless the day we were made partners_ ,” Neil insisted with a slight smile. “ _Just admit it_.”

Jean frowned as he poked Neil in the left cheek. “ _How much did Riko slap you around? I’d ask if there was brain damage but that would imply that you had a brain in the_ -“

They both jumped when there was a loud banging on the door, followed by the muffled sound of Andrew’s voice. Neil hurried to open the door, which revealed the sight of one put-upon (and bruised) Andrew, a smiling (and bruised) Renee and a rather ruffled Aldrich, all backed by a couple of campus security guards, a worried Ito and a few Ravens (Susan, Leif, Sara, and a glaring Lev).

Andrew’s expression went blank upon seeing them, while Renee’s smile slipped for a couple seconds to something which made Neil take a step back and throw a protective arm out in front of Jean. Aldrich appeared appalled and shook his head while Andrew motioned for Neil and Jean to step back into the room.

“Riko?” Neil asked as he retreated backwards.

“Someone must have tipped him off that we were coming, because he left shortly before we arrived,” Andrew said as he continued to gaze at Neil. “That was the only thing we could get out of the other birdies here, other than you hadn’t left the Nest.”

“They’re Ravens, there’s not much they can say,” Neil argued as he tried not to stare at Andrew, to drink in the sight of his friend; he knew how much Andrew hated ‘staring’ and so tried to avoid it, but part of him was so relieved to see his friend alive and well (minus the fading bruises and what the hell was going on with Andrew’s right eye with all the burst blood vessels?).

“Ravens, like you.”

“Yes, Ravens, like me.” Neil met Andrew’s blank gaze and wasn’t the first one to look away. He felt some relief, though, when Jean reached out to give a reassuring squeeze to the back of his neck, and thought he saw Andrew frown (just the slightest) in response.

Renee was quick to jump in on the conversation before he could be certain, though. “What happened? Jean texted me that something happened last night.” When they both were quiet, Renee motioned to them. “The Nest is locked down; you can’t deny that something is going on. What happened to hurt you like this?”

Aldrich, who Neil only knew through interviews, nodded as he motioned to them. “Yes, why do you look like this, and why were you locked in here? Why won’t anyone tell me what’s going on?”

Jean stiffened next to Neil, his expression just as impassive as Andrew’s, and Neil knew that his partner wouldn’t say anything, would continue to protect Riko as always. “It was something that got out of hand,” Neil decided upon as he stared directly at the man despite being uncomfortable in his presence.

“ _What are you doing_?” Jean asked in a quiet voice while Renee frowned in disappointment.

“Miss Walker called me here with a story about hazing, is that happening here?” Aldrich pressed as he eyed Neil and Jean up and down. “You both look as if you should see a doctor.”

Neil thought fast on what would get Aldrich out of the Nest, along with him and Jean, before Riko returned. “We’re… Renee was right, mostly. With Coach Moriyama gone, a few players got out of control.” He winced as he dabbed the back of his right hand against his bruised cheek. “It happens from time to time, but Coach Moriyama will put a stop to it when he’s back.”

That was one of his better lies.

Aldrich’s back stiffened with what appeared to be indignation. “Damn right he will, because this is unacceptable! This won’t happen on my campus!”

Renee was quick to jump in as she motioned to Neil and Jean. “I’m sure you’ll work something out with Coach Moriyama, but right now Neil and Jean need medical attention. We’ll make sure they’ll get it.”

“We have facilities here that can-“

Andrew cut across the man’s arguments with a loud click of the tongue. “You mean you want them kept out of sight,” he said in that flat manner of his as he folded his arms across his chest. “Don’t want to risk the news getting hold of this, hmm?”

Aldrich’s broad face flushed with either anger or embarrassment at being called out like that. “I want them to receive proper medical attention! They’re students of-“

“Then why does it matter where they go?” Andrew asked as he stepped closer to Neil.

“We want to make sure they’re treated properly, too,” Renee insisted with a bright smile, one Neil knew better than to trust. “Let them leave with us and we won’t say a word about what happened, I promise.”

“We promise, too,” Neil was quick to add, to which Jean nodded in agreement; he sensed that Jean wasn’t completely onboard with everything, but that at least was something he could accept.

It took a few seconds for Aldrich to agree, but in the end he didn’t have much of a choice; he clearly didn’t want a scandal and couldn’t risk Renee and Andrew leaving Edgar Allan without a guarantee that they wouldn’t run to the press about what had happened to Jean and Neil. Even if the two of them agreed to a cover-up, all it would take was the media hounding Edgar Allan to see them for some version of the truth to get out.

“The university will take care of all expenses while you recover,” Aldrich told them as he handed Neil a business card and a credit card. “And this will be resolved shortly after Coach Moriyama returns, I promise you. Take some time to heal, I’ll work with your professors if you need to miss any classes, just keep me informed.”

Judging from the way that Renee had tensed during that statement, she didn’t expect them to return to Edgar Allan, had probably come in the mistaken belief to ‘rescue’ them from the Ravens, but that wasn’t possible. Neil gave Aldrich a lopsided smile as he accepted the cards. “Thank you. We’ll grab a few things and be on our way.”

There were campus security guards out in the hall, along with Ito and the Ravens – but no Riko. Jean murmured something to Ito in Japanese, probably that they were leaving but would return soon, before Aldrich said basically the same thing to the assistant coach/yakuza.

“ _We **are** coming back, correct_?” Jean asked as they approached their room. “ _Tell me you’re not that insane_.”

“ _We are, but only after the Master returns_ ,” Neil swore. “ _When he can rein in the monster he created_.”

“ _So we hope_.” But Jean didn’t appear as hopeless as usual, probably because Aldrich’s arrival worked somewhat in their favor; the president’s attention would be on the Nest from now on, would be focused on them (at least for a little while), which meant that Riko would have to behave.

Somewhat.

There were a variety of ways to punish a person, after all.

Neil stared straight ahead and ignored the stunned looks on his teammates’ faces (and the smug one on Lev’s) as he left the Nest, mind busy convincing himself that this was the best possible plan. He let Aldrich babble various reassurances to him and Jean, only to nod in response, and didn’t say anything until seated in the back of Andrew’s GS (somewhere he never thought to be again).

Renee twisted around in the passenger seat to smile at them as they pulled out of Castle Evermore’s vast parking lot. “Are you okay? Can you last until we reach PSU? Abby will be able to-“

“We’re not going there,” Neil enlightened her as he pulled out his phone. “We’re going to a motel.”

“But what about-“

“I think you took too many hits to the head,” Andrew drawled as he drove through campus without a care for stop signs. “We didn’t come here for a brief tour of Edgar Allan and to check out the city’s motels, but to rescue your lying ass.” He paused for a moment to meet Neil’s gaze through the rearview mirror. “Though if you want to drop off Moreau, that’s fine with me.”

Renee gave him a virulent look (well, for her) over that comment. “No, it’s not, we’re taking both of them back with us.”

“No, you’re _not_ ,” Neil stated through clenched teeth while Jean shook his head. “Not unless you’re kidnapping the two of us.”

It was a good thing that it was early morning and no one was behind them, because Andrew slammed on the brakes, which jostled Neil’s sore body and made Jean curse. “Are you seriously stupid enough to want to return to the place where you just had the shit beaten out of you?” Andrew asked in that deadpan manner of his, even as his hands clenched so tight around the steering wheel that his fingers turned white.

Neil was quiet for a moment before he huffed. “Want to? No, but if we go with you? The Moriyamas will tear the Foxes apart for taking us in, it’s too much for them to ignore,” he tried to explain. “We’re both property, we both signed contracts, and this couldn’t happen at a worse time for them.” He knew something about power and the need to show a strong front, and couldn’t see Kengo’s son allowing even the side branch to appear weak when he had just become the head of the main branch. “It’ll put the others at risk – Kevin, Aaron and Nicky.” He knew Andrew wouldn’t allow any danger to his family.

Andrew was quiet while Renee twisted around even more to look at him. “We can figure something out, can threaten to expose them,” she tried to argue. “They won’t want people to know about-“

“Find a motel,” Andrew said, his deep voice cutting off her attempts to sway Neil and Jean. “It better not be too shitty because I want to sleep.”

“ _Arrogant asshole_ ,” Jean muttered while Neil used his phone to look for something out of the way but not too cheap (Aldrich was paying, after all) in the vicinity. Renee was clearly unhappy with things, but she was currently outvoted.

It took half an hour, by which point Neil could use some sleep himself and a comfortable bed; Andrew checked them in then came into the room booked for Neil and Jean, along with Renee.

Great, more ‘debate time’, it seemed.

“What idiotic plan have you thought up?” Andrew asked as he placed the key cards for the room on the kitchen counter; Neil had picked an extended stay hotel with private entrances. “Are you really going back to the Moriyamas or are we going to wake up to find you gone?”

“We’re going to wait here until Tetsuji returns from Kengo’s funeral,” Neil said as he slowly lowered himself onto one of the queen-sized beds. “Didn’t you hear me?” He almost asked if coming off the drugs had affected Andrew’s hearing, but managed to bite his tongue in time. Something had changed with the young man in the last few months, had wiped away the manic smiles from Andrew’s handsome face and left Neil on uncertain ground.

There were also the facts that Neil had walked away from Andrew’s protection, and that Andrew had blocked his attempts at communication.

Yet the goalie had still come to pry him out of the Moriyamas’ hands, which confused the hell out of him.

“Yes, but you’re a known liar,” Andrew said, which proved that he definitely had some sort of grudge against Neil. “A liar and a runaway.”

“Shut up,” Jean snapped as he sat down next to Neil. “If you’re going to be insulting, you can go back to your pathetic university.”

“ _It’s okay_ ,” Neil assured his partner while he tried to think of a way to make some sort of amends with Andrew, tried to think why it mattered so much to him, Andrew’s approval. “I promised you the truth, remember?”

Andrew gazed at him in that flat manner which made Neil want to fidget while Renee moved her hands in a placating manner. “ _Then tell me why you signed, why you left Kevin alone during winter break and didn’t wait for me_ ,” Andrew asked (demanded) in German. “ _Don’t hold anything back, and **no lies**_.”

Somehow, Neil knew it would come to this once he saw Andrew in the Nest. “ _Because I had no choice_ ,” he admitted while he fidgeted with the hem of his scrub top. “ _Riko told me at the banquet that I had to come or… or you’d be harmed_.”

“ _And you believed him_?” A slight sneer unfurled on Andrew’s full lips while Jean and Renee watched on, Jean’s left hand placed next to Neil’s right knee as if for support.

Of course Andrew would make things difficult, wouldn’t he? Neil swallowed past a throat gone dry before he continued. “ _He told me about Proust_.” He caught the slight flinch which Andrew quickly stifled and swore to never reveal the whole truth to his friend. “ _It’s what got me to the Nest and what made me sign, to make that bastard stop harming you_.”

“ _I can look after myself, you damn martyr_.” Andrew’s voice was harsh with barely suppressed emotions, enough that Renee stared at him with concern. “ _I told you not to worry about me, that_ -“

“ _I wasn’t going to let you- I couldn’t let him do that to you_!” Neil swore as his hands balled into fists. “ _Riko taunted me with how you’d be kept there for months, maybe even years, about how easy it would be to have something happen to Matt and the others in New York, for Renee’s home to burn down with her in it, for Allison to be harmed, things like that!_ _The longer I didn’t sign, the more he’d target the Foxes like he’d done with Seth_!”

“ _So you handed yourself over on a silver platter_ ,” Andrew said, voice thick with scorn even as his hands wrapped around his forearms. “ _Do you get off on playing the hero_?”

“Fuck you,” Neil spat as he gave Andrew the finger. “ _I was already property, all I did was speed things along.”_ Well, sort of; he’d expected to die by the end of the season, not end up in the Moriyama hands. _“Why do you care, other than I messed up your plan to deny Riko something he wanted_?”

Something indecipherable crossed Andrew’s face at the question, quickly replaced by familiar blankness. “What indeed?” he said in English before he glanced at Renee. “I’m off to bed,” he told her as he threw the keys to the GS her way. “Wake me and lose at least one vital organ.”

“Oh, okay.” She gave him a slight wave then focused on Neil and Jean. “Do you need anything? I can run out now if that’s the case.”

They would need new bandages soon and other supplies, but decided that sleep was more important right then. Renee promised to run out for them and food once she woke up, then went to her room.

Even though they were exhausted, Neil knew that Jean didn’t want to go to bed right away. “ _What did you and the rude runt talk about_?” Jean asked as he changed out of the scrubs into a black t-shirt and sweatpants, his motions slow because of his injuries.

“ _I told him about how Riko got me to sign_ ,” Neil confessed; at Jean’s worried frown, he sighed and paused in changing his own clothes. “ _He wouldn’t let it go until I did, he’s rather tenacious that way_.”

“ _He’s also very protective, considering how well he’s watched over Kevin, so let’s hope he doesn’t cause problems with Riko_.” Jean seemed to think about that remark as he sunk down on his own bed with a grateful groan. “ _More problems_.”

“ _Only if Riko is stupid enough to carry through with any of those threats, which is why we’re not running away_.” Neil winced as he ran a hand through his hair, which needed to be combed. Actually, it needed washed, as did all of him, but it could wait until he got some sleep. And food. And a hell of a lot of pain meds in him.

Not necessarily in that order.

Jean was an exemplary Frenchman in that he could express an impressive amount of contempt in a single snort. “ _Yes, we all know that Riko is a paragon of restraint and wisdom_.”

Neil was too tired and sober for this shit. “ _Riko is a sadistic moron, but Tetsuji isn’t, at least not the latter_ ,” he said as he slowly lowered himself onto the bed. “ _Aldrich is paying attention now, and the College Board as well as the media, especially after Binghamton. If something, **anything** , happens to the Foxes? At least in the next few months? It’s not going to be good_.”

He managed to stretch out beneath the blankets while Jean considered that. “ _I suppose a lunatic like you has to be right now and then_ ,” Jean mused while he fussed with the pillows.

“Thank you.” Neil managed an appropriate amount of sarcasm despite his split lower lip.

“ _Though here we are in March, and you’ve basically used up your intelligence for the year. Ah well, now I know to ignore your nonsense from now on. Maybe look into a gag of sorts_ ….”

Neil barely, just barely, resisted the urge to throw one of his pillows at the bastard, but only because it would hurt too much and he knew that Jean wouldn’t return it to him.

It was rare for them to be able to sleep uninterrupted by practice or games or Riko, and they were worn down with pain and exhaustion; they slept until Renee pinged them to see if they were hungry, barring a couple nightmares. Neil dreamt that Riko and his father had tracked him down, that he had to watch while his father hacked apart Andrew, Jean and Renee as he swore to do the same to Neil in the end. Still, despite the dreams, being able to sleep for over nine hours helped a lot, as did a smiling Renee arriving with coffee, fruit smoothies and scrambled eggs.

“I tried to get something which shouldn’t be too difficult to eat,” she explained as they sat down at the small table in the room to enjoy their meal. “Oh, and here’s some pain meds.” She set a bag which contained actual prescription meds in front of Neil; at his surprised look, she appeared pleased. “I asked Abby to call something in to a local pharmacy. They’re not the strongest, but they should help.”

He checked the bag and had to agree, then thanked her for her thoughtfulness. There were also some antibiotics as well, so he read the instructions before he parceled out the pills for him and Jean to go with their food. “What about Andrew?”

“Still sleeping, from what I can tell.” Renee played with the cross on her necklace as she gazed at the far wall. “I left him a text that I have some things for him in my room.”

Neil was half-tempted to believe that Andrew was already on his way back to South Carolina, but supposed he wouldn’t leave without his car. “He does like sleeping.”

“He’s lazy,” Jean sneered. “Surprised he doesn’t sleep in the goal.”

“He did a good job of defending it against you Ravens,” Renee reminded him with a sweet smile. “And he’s still recovering from New York.”

“Yeah, New York.” Neil poked at his eggs while he thought about what had happened there. “Everyone’s all right? I saw the riot on television.”

Renee’s expression softened and she let go of her cross. “Yes, they’re fine. Well, mostly fine.” She frowned a little and took to folding a spare paper napkin. “It’s going to be difficult, our next game, since Kevin has a bad sprain and the others various injuries, so much that I doubt we’ll win. It’s not how we wanted to end the season.”

“Be thankful you made it this far,” Jean said, the same thing he’d told her several times before, but his tone was kind. “And that no one was hurt worse.” He, like Neil, doubted that the riot had been a spur of the moment thing.

There was another flash of the darkness which Renee usually kept hidden, and then she smothered it with a disappointed smile. “I know, it’s just that we tried so hard this season and had a good shot at the semi-finals.” When Jean opened his mouth to most likely argue that the Foxes wouldn’t go any farther than that, her smile strengthened while she shrugged. “We would have liked to face you out on court one more time, at least.”

“Maybe this is for the best, because it can then be argued that you probably would have if it wasn’t for the riot,” Neil said as he picked up his smoothie. “No matter how much Riko puts down the team and Kevin.”

“Yes, Riko.” Renee frowned at her own breakfast, some sort of vegetable and egg bowl. “Do you really believe it’s safe to remain near him?”

“I think it’ll be safer once Tetsuji’s back and now that Aldrich’s involved,” Neil repeated when she looked up at him. “I don’t believe anyone wants to deal with him when he feels he has nothing to lose.”

“But why do you two have to be the ones who bear the brunt of his anger? If you come with us, we can-“

“No,” Jean said as he pushed his half-eaten plate of eggs away. “It’s as Neil described; if we both leave, Riko and Tetsuji will stop at nothing to get us back because they won’t accept too much loss of face. Especially when it would draw such attention, this late in the season and after Neil already switched teams once. If you thought things were bad when Kevin joined the Foxes, it’ll be nothing like what will happen if you try to help us.”

Neil didn’t quite know what all was between Jean and Renee except that they were friends and Jean trusted Renee, that he didn’t want her hurt, while Renee was honest about her wish to help him escape the Moriyamas. “We’re staying here until Tetsuji comes back,” Neil settled on before he sipped his smoothie, to which Jean nodded.

Renee sighed at that but didn’t continue to argue; instead, she told them about the Foxes’ spring break so far (Matt and Dan in New York City, Allison off at some fancy resort, Nolan happy to visit his family, Kevin and Aaron’s grumpiness over their injuries). Neil felt a bittersweet happiness to hear about his former teammates, to know that they were mostly well, and enjoyed the rest of the meal.

Once everyone was done eating, Renee helped to clean their wounds and change the bandages; the antibiotics would help ensure that nothing became infected, and she thought that Jean’s two fingers had been set properly. “At least they were a clean break and on his left hand.”

“Yes.” Riko had been about to move on to his right hand when Neil had distracted him.

“Are you sure you don’t want Abby or another professional to look at you?” When Neil and Jean merely gave her blank stares in return, she sighed and gathered up the old bandages. “At least you should recover in a couple weeks, the fingers aside.”

Jean was used to playing with broken fingers – they both were, so it wouldn’t slow them down. “We’re fine, thanks for everything.” Neil summoned a grateful smile despite the stitched cut on his right cheek. “You and Andrew really didn’t have to come here.”

“Yes we did, you’re not in this alone,” Renee insisted. “We want to help.”

“You, maybe, but Andrew just wants to mess things up for Riko as much as he can.” Neil refused to let any bitterness creep into his voice since he was the one to leave PSU, to walk away from the deal he’d made with Andrew.

Renee gave him an odd look before she shook her head while Jean watched on with interest. “You know it’s more than that, you’re one of his own.”

“ _Was_ one of his, I left, remember? Now I’m just a Raven.” Neil tapped a finger against the ‘4’ on his left cheek.

“Andrew doesn’t accept people so easily,” Renee said with a tiny smile. “He doesn’t let them in like he did with you. He’s not here because of Riko, but for _you_.”

“Yeah, to throttle me,” Neil admitted with a grimace. 

Jean groaned for some reason, which made Neil worry that his injuries were bothering him, while Renee’s smile strengthened. “Ask him if he’s ready to admit anything yet.”

“Admit that he wants to kill me? I know that already.”

“ _Oh my god, you truly are a fool_!” Jean proclaimed as he threw his hands up in the air, which made Neil give him a rude gesture and call him an arrogant French bastard (which really went without saying).

An amused Renee left them alone after that; they took showers and then napped a little, a rare treat. After waking up, Jean accepted Renee’s offer for a walk (he made sure to pull his hoodie over his head to hide his face as much as possible), which left Neil alone for what felt like the first time in forever.

The room grew claustrophobic, so he went outside, too. At first he thought to run, but when he went past a stairwell, he felt an impulse to go into it and up.

Somehow, he wasn’t surprised to find the exit to the roof propped open.

He debated going through the door for a few seconds, but in the end, the scent of cigarette smoke, something he’d smelled little of since December, made up his mind; he pushed open the door and was mindful to make sure it didn’t close all the way before he walked over to the figure clothed in black who stood near the edge.

“I don’t think there’s enough floors here to properly throw me to my death,” he remarked; it was only a three-story building.

“Perhaps I’ll stab you a few times before I throw you over,” Andrew drawled in that flat manner of his; Neil was still adjusting to the lack of any manic laughter.

“That doesn’t mean I still won’t drag you down with me.”

“Hmm, I’ll cut off your hands, too,” Andrew mused aloud as he stared straight ahead.

“Well, I suppose that’s better than removing my tongue, like Riko planned on doing.” Neil closed his eyes and breathed in deep the scent of burnt tobacco, felt a knot of tension that had been in him since leaving PSU slowly unravel.

Andrew exhaled then clicked his tongue. “For once I can agree with the asshole on something.”

“I’m sure he’ll be happy to know that.” Neil chuckled when a finger was poked into his left cheek. “What?”

“Still a smart-ass.”

“Yeah.” Weariness weighed down on him as he opened his eyes. “I get that a lot, lately.”

“That why you’re all beat up?” When Neil remained quiet, Andrew clicked his tongue again. “ _Neil_.”

Reminded of his promise to tell the truth, Neil drew in a slow breath as he went to rub his eyes, then thought better of the latter. “There’s always something going on at the Nest, but it’s not usually too bad. Kevin told us about Tetsuji and how you have to learn or else.” He gave a slight shrug while he motioned at his left shoulder. “So I learn as quickly as I can, which means some of the other Ravens hate me for that and take it out on me during the scrimmages. And then there’s Riko.”

“Yes, Riko.” A muscle tightened in Andrew’s strong jaw while he gazed at Neil. “What was it this time?”

“Kengo’s death,” Neil explained as he lightly touched the small cut on his cheek – at least until Andrew batted his hand aside. “From what we can tell, he was purposely left at the Nest while Tetsuji went to New York for the funeral and wasn’t happy about it.” His lips twisted in a mocking smile over Riko’s continuing isolation from the main branch. “He decided to take it out on me and Jean, starting with Jean. When it became clear that he wasn’t going to stop anytime soon, I… intervened.”

Something akin to pain flashed across Andrew’s face for a moment. “You were your usual idiot martyr self, you mean.”

It was difficult to deny that, wasn’t it? “Uhm, yeah?” Neil winced at the look of derision directed his way (even if he was inwardly pleased to see some sort of emotion on Andrew’s handsome face). “What was I supposed to do?”

“You weren’t supposed to deal with him,” Andrew reminded as he flung the mostly-finished cigarette aside. “You should have stayed at PSU and waited for me to return.”

“And if you didn’t? If you remained at Easthaven,” remained stuck there to be abused by Proust, “and something happened to any of the others, what then?” Neil gazed at Andrew, whose expression was shut off once again. “I couldn’t take that big a chance.” Not when he was marked for death anyway.

“Damn martyr,” Andrew muttered as he once more stared out across the streets in front of the hotel as if too disgusted to look at Neil.

“I really wanted to stay,” Neil confessed as he forced himself to look away from Andrew, “at PSU and with the Foxes.” With Andrew. “I was… I was happy there. But Jean’s not bad and at least I’m playing Exy.”

“Idiot junkie martyr,” Andrew amended with a slight sneer.

Yeah, that sounded about right.

“Anyway, thank you for coming. I’m sorry we bothered you during your spring break.” When he should be healing from the riot, according to Renee. “You should still be able to enjoy some of it.”

Andrew huffed as he shook free another cigarette. “Oh, we’re not leaving just yet, there’s still a chance for me to find a suitable building to throw you off.”

The admission made Neil chuckle despite all his aches and pains (and the craving to reach for the newly lit cigarette). “See, that’s what I told Renee, but she didn’t believe me.”

In the middle of raising the cigarette to his lips, Andrew paused for a heartbeat or two then slowly inhaled, his eyes hooded as if he was thinking about something. “What did she say?”

“Hmm?” Neil took to picking at the cuffs of his hooded sweatshirt as he watched the smoke vanish in the air around Andrew’s head, how it alternately hid and revealed his strong, attractive features. “She said that you came here to help me because I was still one of yours and, uhm, something about you having something to tell me?” No, that wasn’t it. “Something to admit to me.”

Andrew’s full lips pressed together for a moment, which made Neil think that he was upset with someone – either him or Renee. There were a couple drags on the cigarette while Neil considered his chances of going over the edge of the roof steadily increasing, and then Andrew huffed. “Renee needs to keep her mouth shut.”

Neil hummed in agreement and thought that was the end of the topic, only to blink in surprise when Andrew continued talking.

“I hate you,” he stated without inflection, much like someone saying that it was a sunny day, “you’re a liar and an idiot only too happy to throw yourself on the first sword someone waves about in front of you.” Okay, that was nothing new. “But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t blow you.”

…. Okay, **_that_** was….

For several confused seconds, Neil thought that Andrew had lived up to the threat of throwing him off the roof as the world spun around him, as his heart raced and mind stuttered from the impact of those words. “I… you… uhm… _what_?”

That perhaps wasn’t his most articulate moment, but Andrew had just… _really_?

He cleared his throat and tried again while Andrew continued to gaze at him in that impassive manner. “You… you _like_ me?”

“I hate you,” Andrew repeated as he flicked ash off the tip of the cigarette.

Uncaring about the pain, Neil scrubbed at his face and welcomed how the bracing emotion helped to clear his head. “You want to have sex with me and you came here to rescue me from the Moriyamas, so I think it’s a bit more than that.”

Once more, Andrew’s jaw twitched before he opened his mouth. “You’re annoying, suicidal and don’t listen to anything I say. You’re this… this impossible pipedream who’s not supposed to be real. I was supposed to come back and find out that you were a side effect of the drugs.” He huffed as he stared down at the cigarette held between his fingers as if mesmerized by it. “Oh, you were gone all right, but nothing had changed.” He sounded offended by that fact.

Unsurprisingly, Neil didn’t know what to do, but he couldn’t remain silent. “I’m real,” he argued. “I’m not some hallucination.”

“You’re going to be gone again soon enough, one way or another. Back beneath that awful court, off and running as soon as I turn my back or in a grave because of your suicidal nature,” Andrew said as he turned more to face Neil.

Dammit, he was right – at least in regards to the first item. “I… I can’t go with you, no matter how much I want to.” Neil’s voice was raw as he confessed the one thing he longed for the most, even more than playing Exy. “My father… he’s the one after me and he’s out of prison now, the Moriyamas will just send him after me and most likely have him make an example of you and some of the others to prove a point.” He remembered his dream from the night before and shuddered in horror at the image of Andrew’s body bloody and dismembered by his father’s blades.

It was quiet for about a minute before Andrew flung the cigarette aside then grabbed the front of Neil’s sweatshirt and pulled him forward. “Yes?”

“Eh?” Neil was confused by the question and sudden action, but didn’t pull away because he trusted Andrew (even if he was about to be thrown to the ground at last).

“Yes or no?” Andrew’s voice possessed a rare growl as he stared intently at Neil from only a couple of inches away.

“Yes,” Neil answered without hesitation, and once more felt that sense of vertigo when he was kissed.

It wasn’t the fact that he was kissed which was so shocking, not when he’d kissed a couple girls before in an effort to discover why people made such a fuss over it (then stopped because of his mother). No, it was because _Andrew_ was the one kissing him, was doing it with a ferocity that took Neil’s breath away, that made his entire body tingle and his heart pound, made him feel so damn alive. He forgot about his aches and pains as a sense of euphoria built in him, as his world narrowed down to the feel of Andrew’s mouth on his, Andrew’s hands in his hair and around the nape of his neck, as he struggled not to reach for the solid, warm body pressed against his own.

Just as a needy moan slipped free from deep in his throat, Andrew pulled away, the pupils in his hazel eyes blown wide, full lips reddened yet expression inscrutable. “It seems you’re not the only idiot.”

“Hmm?” It took Neil a moment to realize what that meant. “But you-“

“Hush.” Andrew held up his hand in front of Neil’s face. “The whole ‘remove tongue’ thing is becoming more attractive.”

Neil grinned at the ‘threat’. “But it will make what we just did a lot less fun, won’t it?” When Andrew’s eyes narrowed the slightest bit, Neil clamped his lips shut in a hurry.

His reaction provoked a pleased grunt from the bastard, who sat down on the edge of the roof; when nothing happened after several seconds, Neil joined him, mindful not to sit too close, and smiled when a lit cigarette was passed over. For about half an hour they sat in companionable silence, then Andrew ‘asked’ for Neil’s phone.

He handed it over and watched on as Andrew flipped through various screens; there were messages from Jean in French and fellow Ravens in English (most warning him about Riko and asking when he and Jean would be back). Andrew paused at the ones from Lev, which were… Neil had deleted most of them already, but new ones must have come through, and he imagined that Andrew wasn’t pleased to read them before he deleted them as well.

After a few minutes, he returned Neil’s phone then retrieved his own; he entered several numbers into it. “You call me regularly, especially if there’s any problems,” he ordered. “Not Renee.”

It looked as if he was no longer blocked; Neil smiled as he tapped his phone against his right thigh. “Won’t that annoy you?”

Andrew’s lips pressed together for a moment before he answered. “Everything about you is annoying, but if you insist on remaining a Raven, I want to know what Riko’s up to and the latest bit of insanity you’re plotting. Now, who is Lev Federov, other than an upperclassman backliner?”

Of course Andrew would want to know about the bastard. “One of Riko’s goons, I guess you would say.” When that apparently wasn’t enough for the man, he sighed. “He seems to think that if I annoy Riko enough, he’ll get… special privileges with me.” When Andrew’s expression once more took on that awful blankness, Neil shook his head. “I’ll gut him with a butter knife before I let that happen.” Or at least, he’d try, unless it meant that Jean would suffer in his place.

Some of his thoughts must have crossed his face or perhaps Andrew just knew him well enough, because his friend clicked his tongue as he ran the fingers of his right hand along his left armband. “You better be right about Tetsuji reining in Riko.” There was no ‘or else’, but Neil didn’t need anything said to imagine that Andrew would be back, and that time there would be bloodshed.

They remained on the roof for a little longer, until Renee texted to let them know that she and Jean had returned. When Neil and Andrew got up to meet them in Renee’s room, Neil reached out (but didn’t touch) Andrew’s right arm. “Why do you like me?” At Andrew’s bland look, he rolled his eyes. “Okay, hate me, whatever, but why _me_?” Why did Andrew trust him like this after everything that had been done to him, after Drake and Proust?

Andrew didn’t say anything at first, and then he motioned to Neil’s hand, which still hovered near his arm. “Because you’re not like them.” Then he opened the door and walked through it; Neil had to scramble to catch it before it slammed shut.

Renee and Jean had brought back coffee, which Andrew and Neil were grateful to accept (Neil grimaced upon seeing how much whipped cream was on Andrew’s sugary concoction). Jean appeared to be in a good mood, his cheeks flushed from the fresh air, though he sat next to Neil and not Renee while they debated what to order for dinner.

It was an enjoyable evening, the four of them watched a movie together; Neil was conscious of Andrew’s presence nearby, of the inherent security his friend provided. It was a lot quieter than weekends in Columbia or time spent with the upperclassmen, but it was still one of the best nights he’d had with the way Jean and Renee gently bickered over a movie until Andrew took control of the remote, with Jean a comfortable presence against his left side, how all four of them (Andrew sparingly commented) picked apart the flaws in the action movie.

Andrew and Renee stayed for two more days, which they figured would be long enough for Kengo’s funeral to take place and Tetsuji to return to Edgar Allan. During that time, Jean and Renee went on several walks while Andrew and Neil were up on the roof or in Andrew’s room. Sometimes they talked (Andrew about Aaron, Nicky and Kevin, Neil about life at the Nest or on the run), sometimes they simply enjoyed being near each other, and sometimes they continued mapping out what Andrew had claimed was the ‘nothing’ between them, was kisses and touches which left Neil lightheaded and breathless, left his body thrumming with pleasure and energy, left him wanting more.

It always started with ‘yes or no’ and Andrew stating where (if at all) Neil could touch him; usually above the shoulders but a couple of times along his chest. Neil always respected those boundaries, even as he chafed at the clock ticking down, at the knowledge that soon enough, Andrew would leave and they most likely wouldn’t see each other again until they played against each other or the fall banquet.

This thing between them might be ‘nothing’, at least to Andrew, but Neil found a new reason to hate the Moriyamas, to despise Riko for making him sign that contract. He didn’t fool himself that this could be anything other than physical, not when he belonged to the Moriyamas and Andrew deserved someone better than a liar born and bred, but….

But they’d never know, would they? Not when they each had their own obligations to keep.

The day that Andrew and Renee were to leave, Neil and Andrew spent some time on the roof, long enough for Neil to draw a hitched breath from his friend when his lips wandered down Andrew’s throat. “You like that,” he murmured in delight, and went to kiss there again before his head was pulled up and he was kissed silent.

Hmm, something to remember for the next time.

Dammit, there _would_ be a next time, so long as Andrew was willing.

“Don’t get yourself killed by anyone but me,” Andrew said when they finally pulled apart.

“Well, I think Jean might be hoping to have that honor, but I’ll do my best.” Neil smirked at Andrew, only to yelp when he was given a smack on his ass. “What?”

“I really need to find that taller building,” Andrew grumbled as they headed downstairs. “And you a gag.”

“Funny, but Jean said the same thing, about the gag I mean.”

Somehow, Neil avoided being shoved down the stairs.

Despite his wounds healing at a steady pace, his chest ached to see the GS leave with Andrew and Renee in it a short time later; Neil and Jean waved to them before returning to their room. “ _I know it’ll be better if they’re not here when Tetsuji comes, but I’ll miss them_ ,” Neil admitted as he sank down on his bed.

“ _I agree_.” Jean’s grey eyes narrowed as he stared at Neil. “ _Though I think it’s the rude runt you’ll miss the most, no?_ ”

“Hmm?” Neil noticed how his partner’s gaze was fixed on his neck in particular, and raised his hand to feel along his skin. “ _What about Andrew_?” His friend had been kissing and nibbling there a lot earlier.

Jean sniffed in derision as he leaned back against his pillows, his arms folded over his broad chest. “ _I more than assume that you’ve finally figured out why he came here for you_.” When Neil continued to stare at him in confusion, Jean rolled his eyes. “ _Go look in the mirror.”_

Neil scrambled from the bed and into the bathroom while Jean sauntered after him; as soon as he turned on the light and stared at the mirror above the sink, something he usually avoided doing, he could spot the bruises blooming all over his neck. “Fuck.”

Andrew was the one who should be worried about going off the damn roof.

“ _I don’t want to know anything about that, seeing **this** is more than enough,”_ Jean drawled as he leaned against the doorway of the bathroom. “ _Also? Your taste in men is **horrible**.”_

“ _I am going to smother you in your sleep one night_ ,” Neil declared in as bright a tone as he could manage, which made Jean sniff once again and retreat to the ‘kitchen’ portion of their room.

Neil spared one more glance at the hickeys before he went in search of a shirt with a high collar (one of his hoodies) then sent a ‘wtf’ text to Andrew before he laid down on his bed to consider just where his life had gone completely off the rails.

It was one of those days when drinking seemed like a semi-decent idea.

Instead, he and Jean went for a run a little later then stopped at a nearby store for enough food to last them another day or two, unwilling to leave the hotel too often. They were careful to keep their hoods pulled over their head and interact as little as possible with people, and were relieved to return to their room.

It wasn’t long after they’d showered and made a simple meal of salad with canned salmon when there was a knock at the door; they stilled at first, in the process of cleaning up the remains of their dinner, before Neil motioned for Jean to remain back while he went to see who it was. He wished that he had some sort of weapon, but knew it would only get him into even more trouble if he attempted to fight with Tetsuji.

When he saw who was on the other side of the door, he was grateful that he wasn’t armed.

It wasn’t Tetsuji, it was a young Asian man dressed in a very expensive black suit with two large men at his back; Neil’s mind did a quick calculation before he bowed low. “ _Hello, Lord Moriyama,”_ he said in Japanese as he stepped aside.

Ichirou Moriyama gave him a curious look as he entered the hotel room, while the guards looked around as if to assess it for any threats. Jean was quick to bow as well and welcome the new Moriyama lord then came to stand beside Neil.

“Interesting, I was under the impression that you didn’t know who I was,” Ichirou stated as he stood in front of them, his attention focused on Neil.

“We’ve been expecting a visit from Tetsuji any day now, my lord,” Neil explained in what he hoped was a respectful tone. “It wasn’t that much of a leap to figure out who you were when you appeared instead, just a surprise.”

“’Expecting’, you said.” Ichirou’s eyes narrowed as he glanced around the room for a few seconds, then refocused on Neil. “I’ve heard such things about you, Nathaniel, about how you caused a lot of trouble and drew unwanted attention to my uncle and then dared to run away. Yet here you are, supposedly waiting for us to find you?”

“My lord, that’s not quite what happened.” Neil swallowed past a throat gone dry as he hoped that Ichirou would listen to him, that he could talk his way out of what could be his and Jean’s death sentence if the young lord saw him as threats to the Moriyamas. “Yo- ah, we had no intention of causing any trouble or leaving the Nest, but Riko Moriyama,” he caught the way that Ichirou’s eyes narrowed at the mention of his disowned brother, “broke down when he heard about your father’s death. He began to beat my partner,” he motioned to Jean, whose face was still bruised and fingers in splints from the attack, “to such an extent that I feared for his life and intervened. I’d hoped to keep us locked away from him until Tetsuji returned, but two friends became worried for our sake and showed up with Aldrich. We managed to downplay the attack as much as possible, but left to ensure that Riko didn’t return and finish what he’d started.”

The room was quiet while Ichirou continued to study Neil as if hoping to catch him out at something, then nodded once. “You’re fortunate that your story matches what we’ve found out already, and that you truly didn’t run away.” He strode forward and grasped Neil by the chin; Jean jolted as if he wanted to move, to do something, but stopped himself in time while Neil forced himself to remain still as well. “Tell me the truth, did you hope to have someone save you? To have Aldrich or your friends intervene for you?”

“No,” Neil swore as he looked Ichirou in the eye. “I knew you’d never let us go, that we’re Moriyama property, but I honestly believed that if we remained in the Nest, Riko would either kill us or break us past the point that we were of any value to you.” He didn’t need to say that if they weren’t of any value? Then they were as good as dead.

Ichirou held his gaze (and chin) for a few more seconds. “You haven’t heard about your father?”

Neil’s brows furrowed at the question. “That he’s out of prison? Tetsuji told me.” It had been meant as a warning, to kill any idea he had of running again or acting up.

“Hn.” Ichirou let go of his chin and took a step back. “Your father is dead, Nathaniel.” A slight smile spread across his face when Neil staggered at the news, so much that Jean reached out to hold onto his arm for support. “He’s been dead for several days now, killed by the Hatfords in revenge for your mother. They came to us to negotiate for their actions and now work for me, but I’m still lacking a Butcher.”

“Yes, my lord.” Neil said the words in a rote manner, his mind racing to take everything in, to accept the fact that his father, the most terrible monster in his life, the man responsible for so much pain and terror (for his mother’s death) was gone – let alone that it had been the Hatfords who’d done it. That the Hatfords now worked for the Moriyamas. He felt battered by the past at the moment, right when he needed his wits about him the most.

“Lacking a Butcher, and here stands his son.”

All right, that snapped him back to reality rather quickly, as did Jean squeezing his arm hard enough to cut off all circulation.

“Uhm, yes, my lord?” Neil hoped that things weren’t going in the direction it sounded like they were going.

Ichirou tugged at the cuff of his left glove as he eyed Neil up and down. “Yes, his son, already sworn to the family, isn’t that convenient?”

Fuck, it did.

“I’m not my father,” Neil pointed out as clearly as he could without appearing rude.

“No, you’re not.” Ichirou once more reached for Neil’s chin and twisted his head about as if appraising a work of art – or a piece of meat. “From all reports, you’re rather clever, especially considering how long you and your mother evaded the people hunting you, and skilled in languages. Take those skills, throw in some new ones, and you’ll be very useful.”

When Neil remained quiet, Ichirou’s fingers tightened and drew him in closer. “This is your choice, Nathanial. You swear to me, and I’ll take both you and Moreau under the main branch’s protection so the side branch can’t harm you any longer.”

He stared into Ichirou’s dark eyes and saw a coldness there which made it clear that if he said ‘no’ then he and Jean would be returned to the Nest, where Tetsuji would restrain Riko for the bare amount of time – if at all. Yet there wasn’t that spark of madness which was always lurking in Riko’s, igniting at the barest hint of fuel to scorch the nearest convenient target (Neil and Jean, usually) so Neil decided to gamble on what appeared to be the path which would lead to the most amount of safety for him and Jean.

(Well, at least for Jean.)

“ _I swear to you, my lord_ ,” he said in Japanese, and assumed that he’d spoken it correctly when no one laughed.

“Full of surprises,” Ichirou murmured as his fingers stroked along Neil’s left cheek for a moment before he let go then turned to Jean, who was quick to swear as well.

Their new lord nodded once in approval. “As of now, you belong to the main branch. You’ll continue to play Exy, and 80% of any income generated from your careers will be owed to the family in return for nurturing your talent and providing for you.” While he spoke, one of his guards pulled out his phone and stepped outside, as if to make a call. “One of my people will be in touch with you about your additional duties and trainings, Nathaniel.”

“Yes, my lord,” Neil said with a slight bow.

“You’ll also reach out to Kevin Day and inform him of the fact that he, too, owes the family for investing in him.” The slight smile on Ichirou’s lips turned cold. “He’s been overlooked for too long, now is the time to address any outstanding debts.”

Someone was determined to come out swinging as the new Moriyama lord, weren’t they? Neil couldn’t complain (too much) as long as it kept Jean and him out of Riko’s sadistic grasp. “Understood, my lord.”

“Continue to be so obedient and you’ll do well.” He gave Neil one more intent look before he motioned around the room. “Gather your things, we’re returning you to the Nest.” When Neil and Jean nodded in understanding, he turned to leave with the other bodyguard.

“ _What have you done now_?” Jean asked in a hushed voice as he moved as quickly as possible to collect his clothes.

“ _What needed to be done_.” When Jean frowned, Neil shook his head. “ _Ichirou or Tetsuji, I’m still Moriyama property. But I’m willing to bet that we’ll be beaten up less while we belong to the main branch._ ” As long as they were of ‘value’, but what else was new?

“ _How can you say that, when you don’t know what he expects of you?_ ” When Neil didn’t answer, Jean put himself in Neil’s path. “ _What have you gotten yourself into?_ ” he dared to ask as he reached out a tentative hand to cup the back of Neil’s neck.

“ _Nothing new,”_ Neil said with a faint smile, as he thought about all the lying and stealing and scamming he’d done with his mother while on the run, about the times he’d taken the lessons forced upon him by his father and Lola and even Mary whenever things had gotten truly bad. “ _It’ll be nothing that I haven’t done before, I’m certain.”_ Just things he’d thought he’d put behind him.

He should have known better, should have known that he couldn’t escape being a Wesninski and a Hatford no matter what name he called himself. Yet if it kept Jean from flinching whenever Lev and Mike entered the room? Kept Jean from bearing new scars and maybe having some sort of life once he graduated in a couple years? Then it would be worth it.

One of them could escape (somewhat) in the end.

Jean didn’t look as if he believed him (such lack of faith), but it wasn’t like they had much time to argue the matter with Ichirou and his men waiting outside; they grabbed their clothes and few personal items and left everything else behind. Neil was surprised when one of the guards motioned for them to climb into the limo waiting nearby, and sat facing a bored-looking Ichirou.

“Tetsuji’s been informed of your new status,” he said once they were settled in the vehicle, “and of my displeasure if anything happens to what is mine.” He glanced at his phone for a moment and appeared to read to a text. “Some people will arrive shortly to ensure that he complies, as well as to prevent any new incidents that will draw negative attention to Castle Evermore.” He fixed Neil and Jean with a stern look. “I won’t be pleased to learn that you’ve caused any more trouble, and expect you and your friends to remain quiet about this past week.”

“Understood, my lord,” they both said with slight bows, then Neil thought about how Ichirou had phrased things, had never once mentioned Riko. “ _We_ will behave and won’t create problems for the main branch, but Tetsuji needs to control his own people.”

Ichirou arched an eyebrow at that statement while Jean elbowed Neil in the side, then gave a slight inclination of his head. “Agreed, which is why I will be speaking with my uncle when we reach Castle Evermore.”

Which meant that Riko would be enraged if he was ignored by his brother; it would be a test to see how well belonging to the main branch truly protected Neil and Jean. Yet an idea began to build in Neil’s head as they drove to Edgar Allan, as he carefully regarded his new ‘lord’.

Ichirou Moriyama seemed intent on protecting the responsibility he’d inherited, was serious about his duties and not appearing weak as the new lord. He wasn’t afraid to take on his uncle nor to do away with anything that wasn’t of value.

What if he was made to realize that Riko held no value to the family, was in fact a threat?

Neil didn’t look away when Ichirou noticed his attention and again arched an eyebrow while gazing back, merely gave a respectful nod which made the young lord smile as if pleased.

“ _You are a lunatic of the highest magnitude_ ,” Jean breathed out as he nudged Neil in the side once more.

A lunatic who was going to ensure that Jean, Andrew and the Foxes were never in danger from the Moriyamas (from _Riko_ ) again.

*******


	3. Chapter 3

*******

It was quiet the first couple hours during the drive back to PSU; the radio was turned up while Andrew thought about Neil (about their time on the roof before he left) and Renee texted on her phone, probably with Allison and Dan. It wasn’t until after they stopped for gas, coffee and snacks that he finally spoke.

“You’re getting your ass kicked tomorrow.”

Renee twisted about in the seat to face him, one of her annoying smiles on her face. “That’s if Abby clears you.”

“You’re getting your ass kicked tomorrow,” he repeated; he’d held off from doing it while at the hotel because they were rarely alone together and he spent most of his time with Neil.

That and yes, he was still recovering from the concussion, but he was fine now. Fine enough to beat her into the ground for interfering with him and Neil. Even if there was… there was ‘nothing’ between him and Neil.

Neil, who was staying at Edgar Allan.

The damn idiot junkie martyr.

“If you insist,” Renee agreed while still smiling. “I’m glad you and Neil are together now.”

“There’s _nothing_ between us,” Andrew gritted out as he passed a series of trucks.

“Hmm, then I hope those marks on Neil’s neck weren’t from bed bugs. I didn’t notice any in my room, but maybe we should disinfect everything before we reach Abby’s just to be safe.”

“Get out of the car, _now_ ,” Andrew ordered, and ground his teeth together when she merely laughed in response.

She wisely kept her mouth shut the rest of the way to Abby’s, who fussed over them when they entered the house. Nicky did, too, and it was clear from his and Kevin’s hopeful expressions that they had expected them to bring back Neil in the end. “He wouldn’t come?” Nicky asked as he kept glancing at the front door. “Really?”

Andrew noticed that Aaron was hovering in the hallway as he went to the fridge to fetch himself a bottle of water. “No, he didn’t want to cause us trouble so he and Moreau stayed behind.”

Kevin nodded while he held his sprained wrist cradled to his chest. “I knew it would be too much for them to come here, it’s for the best, really. They’re not like me, their contracts are different,” he said as he glanced at Abby and Nicky, mindful that they didn’t know the entire truth of how ‘different’ Neil and Moreau were compared to him.

“They should be all right, Aldrich will be watching out for them,” Renee assured as she went for a bottle of water as well. While she caught the others up on Neil and Moreau, Abby dragged Andrew off to check on his concussion, displeased about how much driving he’d done in the last few days.

After giving him a mostly clean bill of health, they all sat down to dinner, where Kevin grumbled about his wrist (not healing fast enough for him) and being unable to play Exy. At least Coach doing well on his recruitment tour seemed to appease the Exy addict, while Aaron had spent the break studying and Nicky playing games.

Andrew was sitting outside on the deck smoking a cigarette and exchanging texts with Bee about an informal session before classes resumed when a text came from Neil about him being back on campus and calling soon. He frowned at it, at the lack of information (classic Neil), and felt an urge for something to drink (Abby had locked up the alcohol, but he had the forethought to buy something while in West Virginia). Once the cigarette was finished, he retreated to his room.

He’d had a few shots and was thinking about his fight with Renee the next day when Neil finally called; Andrew kept the bottle nearby since he suspected he’d need it for the conversation. “It lives?”

“Yes, surprisingly.” There was an odd tension in Neil’s voice; Andrew was very good at picking up such things, especially from a liar who was so good at holding things back and playing with words.

“How upset is Tetsuji, then? Did your little gamble fail?”

Neil was quiet for a moment before a weak chuckle slipped free. “I would say he’s very upset, but no, it didn’t.”

When nothing else followed, Andrew clicked his tongue. “What are you not saying, Josten? What’s going on there? Do we have to get back in the car and drag you out of there again?”

“ _No_!” In the background, there was a faint murmuring in French, followed by Neil answering in the same language. “No, you don’t have to, that’s the last thing you should do.” He let out a slow breath while Andrew sat up and contemplated getting his car keys despite the denial. “It wasn’t Tetsuji who came for us, okay?”

Something cold ran down Andrew’s back at that answer. “Riko?” Or worse, had it been Neil’s father?

Neil had finally revealed the truth about the man to Andrew back in Charleston, about his father being the mobster he and his mother had been running from, a crime lord-slash-serial killer who worked for the Moriyamas. He’d revealed to Andrew about how the man had ‘given’ him to the Moriyamas (which had prompted his mother to run away with him), how his father had killed his mother… and how much he feared the sadistic bastard.

“No, or I doubt I’d be able to call you,” Neil admitted in a subdued voice. “It was Ichirou Moriyama, which is why Tetsuji’s so upset right now. Ichirou found out about what went on here and decided to settle things himself… and long story short, Jean and I now belong to the main branch.”

Okay, maybe Andrew shouldn’t have had the whiskey, because something wasn’t making sense there; he set the bottle aside as he gave a light tug to his bangs. “You beat up Riko, ran away from the Nest, and now the new Moriyama lord has taken you under his wing for being a pain in the ass. What am I missing here?” While Moreau murmured in the background again, Neil remained stubbornly quiet. “ _Neil_ , what the hell is going on?”

“My father’s dead,” Neil said in an even quieter voice, as if the words cost him something. “He was killed a few days ago, right before Kengo died, which Tetsuji kept from me. Ichirou is putting everything in order, and apparently I’m one of those things.”

Nathan Wesninski, the Butcher of Baltimore, was dead; Andrew got up from his bed so he could log on to his laptop to search the news. “What, he expects you to become his new Butcher? That’s ridiculous.” Neil was a lot of things, but he wasn’t a murderer.

At least, Andrew didn’t _think_ he was – not the cold-blooded, serial killer-type.

But Neil was a monster, after all.

“I don’t think it’s that, exactly, but my father served his father so… I’m good at languages and my mother taught me a lot of things.” There was a tightness to Neil’s voice as if he didn’t want to talk about the subject right then – about it at all, really. Too bad, because Andrew wanted answers. “And there’s the Exy career. Anyway, it probably makes him look good, to have me sworn to him.”

There it was – one Nathan Wesninski, dead during a suspicious shootout at his home in Baltimore; the media was surprised that he’d been let out of prison early. Andrew ignored the article for the moment to focus on a certain pretty liar who was reluctant to dwell on the latest major decision he’d made in his life. “And what about you? You’re fine with belonging to the Moriyama lord?”

Once again, Neil was quiet for several seconds. “They’re going to install a lock on our door tomorrow. Ichirou flat out told Tetsuji that he and Riko are not to touch us anymore, nor anyone else here. One of his men will be on hand to ensure they follow orders. We have to play and play well, to obey the main branch, but the side branch no longer has authority over us. If it means that Riko can’t fuck with us anymore and finally is put on a leash? Then yes, I’m fine with it.” That last part came out with a good bit of forcefulness.

Yet again, Neil was throwing him on that damn sword for others, was rushing headlong into some unknown oblivion without any thought for himself. “You are the biggest fool I’ve ever met.” Andrew heard Moreau shout in agreement before he hung up.

He was definitely pounding Renee into the ground tomorrow. If only he could do the same to Kevin and Wymack for inflicting one Neil Josten into his life.

It looked like Nathan Wesninski had been killed shortly after the whole Binghamton mess, which explained why Andrew had missed the news – he’d spent the following days asleep, basically, and doubted his ‘monsters’ cared about the man. Well, there was Kevin, but if it wasn’t Exy or history related, he was barely interested.

Speaking of Kevin, there was a text from Neil that he had a message from Ichirou to pass on to the striker, but it could wait a day or two. Andrew eyed the bottle of whiskey before he decided that he was done with everything for the time being and went to bed.

Later the next morning, he swiped Kevin’s keys for the Foxhole Court so he and Renee could use the inner court to fight since the dorms were still closed. Renee smiled as she warmed up, but once the fight started then the mask was dropped; she came out swinging fast and hard. Andrew didn’t mind, though, since he came out swinging harder.

It was one of their better fights, so much so that he didn’t mind the bloody lip, sore left knee or hit to the chest which made each breath ache for a while. Renee sported a new black eye, a bruised cheek and a slight limp, but her expression was peaceful when they finally slumped to the floor.

She hummed in delight as she handed over a bottle of water. “Feel better now?”

“Still wish I’d pushed you out of the car, but I’ll move on eventually,” Andrew said between dabs at his bottom lip.

“That’s kind of you.” Renee stared at nothing for a moment before she gave herself a slight shake. “I talked to Jean last night. He’s worried about Neil swearing to Ichirou.”

Nice to know someone in that partnership had some common sense.

“Too late to do anything about it now.” At least until Andrew got within stabbing distance of the new Moriyama lord.

“Yes.” Oh, how interesting – was that a flash of darkness in a certain Christian Girl’s eyes? Had she just considered something along Andrew’s thoughts right then? “But he did say that it looks like things are better now. Riko’s still in Detroit with his pro team and Tetsuji was ordered that they were to be left alone.”

Now to see how well the side branch obeyed. “Seems to me Ichirou’s throwing around a lot of power for two assets,” Andrew remarked after half the bottle of water was gone.

Renee frowned as she tugged on her cross. “They’re very good Exy players.”

That wasn’t a proper answer and she knew it; what did Ichirou Moriyama care about Exy? Yes, Neil and Moreau should make a pretty penny as professional players, but no doubt he had dozens of business ventures that generated plenty of profit.

Why did he want Neil – _Nathaniel Wesninski_ – in particular?

The question made something dark and possessive seethe inside of Andrew, made him want to return to Castle Evermore so he could snatch Neil away and hide him somewhere safe.

Except Neil wasn’t a possession.

Except Neil was, according to Ichirou Moriyama.

This was why Andrew _hated_ Neil Josten, because the pipedream made him _feel_ , made everything so complicated when Andrew just wanted to move through life without anything affecting him. He’d see Aaron and Kevin through university and that would be it, would be done with all obligations, and then this too-pretty liar had to barrel into his life and involve him with mobsters and emotions and tangled promises and-

(Well, to be fair, Kevin had started the whole mobster mess.)

Neil’s call that day was to inform him that the lock had been installed and that one Kano Hisoka had arrived to watch over him and Jean. Once again, Andrew had the impression that something was being left unsaid, but for the moment was willing to let it lie (he’d get the truth out of Neil in the end).

What he did find out was what Ichirou wanted ‘passed on’ to Kevin; the Moriyamas had finally decided that Kevin owed them for his years at Castle Evermore, but Neil had clarified a few things with Hisoka and verified that money (a good bit) was only it. So long as Kevin paid his ‘tithe’, he could do what he wanted from what Neil had gotten out of his ‘babysitter’, and Andrew would hold him (would hold Ichirou) to that.

They talked a little more about their classes that semester and Andrew returning to the dorm the next day before Neil had to leave for practice; Andrew hated how half an hour left him feeling the same way as standing on the ledge on top of Fox Tower did – infused with emotion and his heartbeat thundering in his ears.

He should have smashed that racquet into Kevin back in Millport then dragged the bastard out of the high school’s gym before his life became so fucked up.

Once they were back in their suite on Sunday, he grabbed a bottle of vodka from the freezer, poured a double-shot for a smiling Kevin then passed on the message from Neil. At first Kevin blanched upon hearing that Neil and Moreau had switched to the main branch and that Ichirou wanted something from him, but after another generous shot of vodka, he straightened up and considered the ultimatum.

“Neil said that’s it, I just have to hand over some of my salary?”

Andrew clicked his tongue as he eyed the bottle but decided he wasn’t desperate enough for vodka. “’Just’? 80% is a large amount.”

Kevin shook his head as he only poured a single shot that time but didn’t drink it. “I’ll still have enough left over to live on, and I’ve expected this to happen at some point. What matters to me is that they don’t control everything, that I can negotiate my own contract and chose my own team.”

“Ichirou _just_ wants his money, is what Neil told me. He won’t be happy if you go for a bad contract or turn down too many endorsements, but you’re not property so he’ll be hands off as long as you’re not stupid about things.” Which meant that Neil and Moreau wouldn’t receive the same treatment, from what Neil had been careful _not_ to say.

Oh yes, someone was definitely hiding something.

“I’m too good to get anything but a great contract!” Kevin said, deep voice all shrieky with outraged pride before he had the shot, while Andrew debated smacking him for the oversized ego. Then the bastard appeared pensive as he stared into the empty glass. “Neil and Jean… I’m really surprised about the main branch stepping in like that. What’s Riko and the Ma- ah, Tetsuji doing that Ichirou intervened?”

“A valid question.” Andrew gave his friend a salute (then left before Kevin could start whining about how he was perfectly fine to play Exy no matter what Abby said) and went to text Neil.

He got a call rather late at night considering that classes resumed the next day but put it down to the Ravens’ fucked up schedule. “I think it’s safe to say that Riko is _not_ happy.” Neil sounded tired and stressed, but his words were understandable.

“What else is new?” Andrew blew out a plume of smoke as he gazed out upon the campus. “Is Ichirou keeping his word?” Did Andrew have to skip morning practice (oh, the sacrifice) to go rescue a lying rabbit turned raven?

“Yes.” Neil chuckled for a couple seconds, which made Andrew shiver despite the fact that he wore a thick sweatshirt. “I’ll cherish the memory of Riko’s expression when Tetsuji made him ‘heel’ until my dying day.”

“Some people, so easy to please,” Andrew murmured as he flicked ash into the air. “You think it’s going to take?”

Neil’s derisive snort was instant. “I think Hisoka’s going to be busy for the next couple weeks, and I’m grateful for that new lock.”

“What about the other Ravens?” Andrew hadn’t forgotten about Lev Federov, someone whom he looked forward to dealing with one day soon. “They behaving, too?”

“ _No one_ is to touch us, including them.” All the humor was gone from Neil’s voice then. “I don’t make deals lightly.”

Did he think Andrew did, too? That Andrew would forget everything between them after learning that Neil had done something so _stupid_ to keep Kevin and the others safe?

(To keep Andrew safe?)

“Go to bed, you’re going to need your few remaining brain cells functioning tomorrow,” Andrew chided before he hung up.

He inwardly sighed when he received a stuck-out tongue emoji a few seconds later.

Even in his sleep, he couldn’t get away from Neil; he barely woke up in time to keep from embarrassing himself as he dreamed of living up to that ‘blow you’ comment, of having Neil naked beneath him on his bed in Columbia, the scars he’d seen at last on display for him to trail his mouth over while Neil writhed beneath him.

The bastard was an insidious, vile creature who crept into every aspect of Andrew’s life until he couldn’t think of anything else.

At least his foul mood was shared by the rest of the Foxes when they found out Monday morning that Kevin couldn’t play until early April due to the severity of his sprained wrist (at least he didn’t need any surgery), while Matt was questionable because of one of his broken fingers. Dan kept insisting that her ribs were healing just fine but she moved slowly, and Abby didn’t want her to practice for another week.

The Foxes would be down at least one player, one of the best players, while the Bearcats were out for blood after their loss. Andrew knew that the Foxes were done for the season and couldn’t give a damn, not if it meant that he could sleep in at last and focus his attention on what was going on with a bunch of messed-up Ravens.

Kevin got drunk that night, but not obnoxiously so; Andrew and the others let him rant about how he was ‘fine’ to play and how much the Bearcats’ fans were envious assholes, and how he was going to take the Foxes to the finals next year to make up for this season. Nicky snickered and egged him on (Andrew made his cousin put his phone away), Aaron muttered about the ‘stupid game’ and did his homework, and Andrew exchanged several texts with Neil before the junkie went off to practice.

Bee had a mug of hot chocolate waiting for him on Wednesday, along with chocolate fudge cupcakes.

That wasn’t suspicious at all.

“Something in these?” Andrew asked as he poked at the one set by ‘his’ mug.

“An inordinate amount of chocolate, fat and carbs, but you’re an athlete so I’m sure it’s fine,” Bee said with a smile that produced a dimple on the left side of her mouth. “I’ll have to put an extra half hour on the treadmill later, but some things are worth it.”

“No ice cream?” Andrew sniffed in displeasure but reached for the cupcake. “Any reason for this?”

“An apology for being too busy last week.” Bee’s smile faded as she gazed down at her own cupcake. “It wasn’t a good break for another of my patients, and you said it wasn’t critical.”

“It wasn’t,” he assured her; he’d just thought if she had any free time, he could talk through some of the things that had happened in Charleston.

“Well, you’re here now.” Bee cocked her head to the side as she regarded him. “Any reason you’re still sporting some bruises when they should be mostly healed from Binghamton?”

Andrew waited until he’d finished the cupcake (it was good) to answer. “Semi-decent sparring sessions with Renee.”

“Hmm, I’d think you should be taking it easy considering the concussion, but you tend to do things on your own timetable.” She set the cupcake aside after one bite then reached for her mug. “’Sessions’ you said. Any reason you feel the need for such a physical outlet?”

He decided to get everything out in the open. “I saw Neil over the break. Kengo Moriyama died, which led to Riko… well, he decided to take out his daddy issues on Jean Moreau and Neil, which in turn led to Renee and I going on an unexpected road trip to Edgar Allan to break up a nasty situation. We tried to get them to leave the Ravens, but they’re honoring their contracts.” There was only so much he wanted to involve Bee in the whole mess, so much he was willing to reveal (and hoped that Kevin kept his mouth shut about certain things).

Bee might not know (better not know) about the whole Japanese mafia connection, but she most likely knew about Riko being an abusive little shit from Kevin, judging from the way her mouth took on an angry twist. “Are they all right?”

“Mostly. Neil got them away from Riko before they were badly hurt, and we got them out of the Nest long enough for someone to finally smack the bastard down in their regard.”

“Good.” Bee considered all of that while she sipped her hot chocolate. “How’s Neil? That’s the first time you’ve seen him in several months.”

Somehow, Andrew managed a blank expression as he thought about Neil, about how much more striking he was now with auburn hair and pale blue eyes always exposed, about the afternoon when he’d removed his shirt and allowed Andrew to trace his fingers along his toned upper body while he’d whispered the origin of each scar until Andrew had kissed him quiet. “He’s an idiot, but you were right in that he had a reason for leaving.”

“I thought he would, since he struck me as the earnest type. Are you talking to him again?” Bee’s smile was hopeful.

“Yes,” Andrew sighed as he tapped his fingers against the mug. “He’s an idiot who doesn’t know how to look after himself.”

“He seemed like a capable young man to me, his penchant for starting verbal fights aside, but you know him better. I’m just glad that you’ve resumed your friendship with him as social bonds are important.” When Andrew didn’t say anything, Bee’s smile faltered. “Is something wrong?”

“He’s not a friend,” Andrew insisted as he set the empty mug aside so he could wrap his hands around his armbands.

“I know you sometimes have difficulty with labels, but he’s someone you- oh.” Bee’s eyes went wide and she leaned forward in her chair as she stared intently at Andrew. “What do you consider him to be?”

“Nothing,” Andrew ground out as he did his best to not think of Neil, of his too-pretty eyes and his faint smiles and that damn full lower lip which begged to be nibbled on. “He’s nothing to me.”

Bee appeared to have trouble keeping a straight face for a couple seconds but managed in the end. “Yes, which is why you blocked him for so long, which is the action that _another_ person would do if upset and hurt, then went running to help him when you heard he was in trouble, and now seem determined to protect him from himself? All the rational actions of someone who cares absolutely _nothing_ for another person, an attractive young man at that.”

Anyone who believed that Bee wasn’t one of the most sarcastic people alive was a blithering idiot.

Andrew gazed back at her for several seconds. “I went _driving_ to help him out, not _running_.”

“Ah, thank you,” Bee said with a slight nod while she adjusted her glasses. “Common euphemism, but yes, driving. How are you handling feeling _nothing_ for Neil?”

He slumped down in the chair and ran his fingers along his armbands. “He’s in another state, doing all these stupid things I only find out about afterwards, and I…,” the words were stuck in his throat until he noticed Bee’s reassuring expression, “and I think I’m only going to fuck things up.” Fuck things up for Neil, who already had to deal with so much, had to deal with the Moriyamas and the Ravens.

“I think that’s your innate negativity talking there,” Bee argued. “You don’t ‘fuck things up’.”

Andrew scoffed as he got up to look for more cupcakes. “Care to ask Aaron’s opinion on that?”

“One incident doesn’t set a precedent,” Bee said as she figured out what he was searching for and fetched the desserts out of a drawer in her desk. “And you better not just sit on the bench this afternoon.”

They spent a little longer talking about Neil (or Bee did, going over all the reasons why she felt Andrew’s ‘not-interest’ was a good sign) before she got the hint and moved on to a new topic. He did put a bit of effort into the afternoon practice, but only because Wymack and Dan were trying to figure out some sort of new line-up so the Foxes didn’t completely crash and burn during their game against the Bearcats.

Neil didn’t have much sympathy for him since the Ravens were busy preparing for their game against Oklahoma State University; it wasn’t that Neil felt his team would lose, not with their record, but that he and Jean had to do well when they were still recovering.

Oh, and the whole ‘main branch, must impress Ichirou’ thing.

So he wasn’t exactly overflowing with compassion for Andrew, who had to play an entire game when they both knew the Foxes would lose, though he did feel bad for the rest of the team that their season was coming to an end.

There may have been a comment of ‘what, are you going to surprise everyone by actually _trying_ for once?’

Andrew had always known that Neil was a sarcastic little shit, but it was annoying as fuck when he was a sarcastic little shit safely out of reach in another state.

(He also knew it was the stress which prompted the snarky comment, but he still wanted… dammit, he still wanted to press Neil against the nearest wall and kiss him breathless.)

What he didn’t know? What had Neil running off to ‘practice’ all the time, had him groaning from sore muscles and slipping into Japanese upon occasion. All Neil would say was that he’d gotten stuck with additional practice sessions, and even Moreau had become tight-lipped.

Andrew rubbed the sore spot on his jaw while Renee rotated her left shoulder a few times. “Valjean really won’t say anything?”

“Just that Neil has been ordered to improve his Japanese language skills,” she admitted with a slight frown. “He was planning to take it as a class next year, but it can’t wait that long.”

Huh, it seemed that someone intended to put Neil to work as an interpreter sooner rather than later. “That’s it?”

“Yes.” Renee sighed as she sat down. “Jean takes the whole partner thing very seriously, especially since Neil’s gone out of his way to protect him.” Her frown deepened as she toyed with her precious cross. “I get the impression that no one has bothered to do that to the extent which Neil has, so of course Jean’s going to be protective in return.”

“Great, they’re bonding,” Andrew drawled as he slowly slumped against the wall.

“All they really have in the Nest is each other,” Renee was quick to say as if defending the two. “They’re just friends, are _partners_.”

Did she think he was jealous of Moreau? That he believed Neil was interested in the broody backliner? Neil, who ‘didn’t swing’, except somehow did for Andrew? No, he knew there wasn’t anything there besides friendship, at least on Neil’s part. “Relax, Moreau doesn’t strike me as the type to be attracted to suicidal idiots.” That made her smile. “But he seems to like Christian Girls who are more than they appear, hmm?”

That made her smile fade as she once more toyed with the cross. “We’re just-“

“Oh no, you meddled with me and Neil, now it’s time to confess, something you Christians just love to do,” he said as he tapped one of knives across the knuckles of his left hand. “What’s going on between you and Frenchie?” He thought she had something going on with Reynolds, and then she dropped everything to help Moreau.

Renee fiddled with the piece of silver for about a minute before she answered. “I don’t… I don’t really know, to be honest, and I’m not being evasive.” She shrugged as her hand dropped onto her lap and grasped the other. “I believe that Jean is a good man trapped in a bad situation, and I want to help him out of it. Do I find him attractive?” A slight blush spread across her face. “Surprisingly. But that’s not why I’m helping him.”

“And what does Reynolds think of all this?” he asked as he reached for his bottle of water.

Now an impish smile spread across her face. “Allison finds him very attractive and loves his accent.”

That… wasn’t what Andrew had expected to hear. “Rather forward to assume that Moreau’s fine with that, isn’t it?”

“Oh, he knows what he’d be getting into, we talked about it back in Charleston.” The smile was wiped away by that barely smothered darkness. “He’s been through a lot because of Riko, some of which has scarred him terribly. While I worry about Neil, I’m grateful that he’s removed them from the side branch’s authority.”

Andrew’s fingers tightened around the hilt of the knife as he recalled the messages on Neil’s phone which described what would be done to the young man once he returned to the Nest, all the ways he’d be violated by Lev Federov – by someone Andrew had on his list, right below Proust. “I believe I know who might have left those ‘scars’.”

Renee’s head jerked up and she gazed at him with the darkness unrestrained. “Did they… Neil?”

“No,” he assured her with a rough voice as he flipped the knife, “but he was going to if Ichirou hadn’t stepped in.”

“Oh.” Renee closed her eyes and shuddered for several seconds before she regained control. “You’re going to deal with it, then?” she asked after she opened her eyes.

“Yes.”

All she did was nod once, no more questions asked, and the darkness slowly faded away. 

Despite everyone predicting that the Foxes would lose once word got out that Kevin was unable to play, the campus was once more festooned with orange and white as the student body showed their support for the team. Andrew rolled his eyes and kept his hood pulled as far forward as possible, especially when walking past the Vixens.

He was still stuck with evening practices since Kevin worked with Nolan, and made sure the addict didn’t try anything with his right arm, which still sported a brace for his healing wrist. Kevin kept insisting that he could play, but Abby wanted to give his wrist two more weeks to heal.

“You’re lucky nothing was torn bad enough to require surgery,” Nolan reminded the moron as he took another shot on the goal.

“It’s only a microtear, it’s not that bad! I can play this week,” Kevin argued as he lined up another ball. It’s-“

Tired of the same old song, Andrew got up from the bench and pounded on the door to warn that he was entering court; Nolan stopped practice immediately, well-trained by then (not all Raven habits were bad), and left with only a moment’s hesitation when Andrew motioned at him to go shower.

Kevin grumbled and grabbed the kid’s racquet with his left hand, which he used to push a ball around while Andrew gave him a level look. “You annoy Abby, she’ll make it a month.” The nurse might be a bleeding heart for the most part, but she brought the hammer down on anyone she felt who ignored her professional instructions – as Nicky had learned the one time he’d gone dancing at Eden’s instead of keeping his sprained ankle elevated all weekend.

“We were so close,” Kevin whined as he stared at the goal as if it were a crystal ball. “If it weren’t for this,” he held up his right hand, “we’d win on Friday, and now everyone’s called the game without us even playing.”

Andrew suspected part of Kevin’s hissy-fit was due to Riko’s interview earlier, where the asshole had spent at least ten minutes gloating over the Foxes’ approaching loss and what he viewed as Kevin’s failure to stand on his own – him, and no one else. The interviewer had finally cut him off and forced a topic change when Riko showed no inclination of moving on nor accepting that the Foxes would only lose because of injured players.

“You did what you intended, no one’s laughing at the Foxes now. Get off the court before I drag you off,” Andrew said, in no mood for Kevin’s dramatics when he had a warm bed waiting for him.

“I know.” Kevin glared at the goal before he shook his head. “I know, next year we’ll be better, we’ve the new recruits and Nolan’s already improved so much. It’s just….” He scooped up a ball with the racquet and threw it at the goal, straight into the center, with his _left_ hand.

Andrew stared at the goal for a moment, then at Kevin’s left hand, before he clicked his tongue. “Collect the balls and get off the court.”

“Andrew-“

He slashed his right hand through the air. “Can you play a whole game like that? Half a game?” Each time Kevin shook his head. “You ready to risk someone taking a racquet to your right wrist and doing some real damage this time?”

“No,” Kevin admitted with a surly tone. “Not yet. I just hate feeling like Riko’s won somehow, when he’s taken too much from me already.”

“He can only take what you allow. Now get moving, I’m leaving in five minutes.” The damn season couldn’t end soon enough in Andrew’s opinion; he was done with Exy and the idiots who enjoyed playing it.

On Thursday, Nolan came over to watch the Ravens play OSU with Kevin; Andrew and Nicky stocked up on beer and snacks then settled in the bean bag chairs while Aaron retreated to the bedroom to study. It wasn’t any big surprise when the Ravens won, and by a large margin at that, though Riko only played the first quarter since he got into a fight with an opposing striker. The Ravens weren’t hampered by his loss, not with Neil, Jenkins and Engle eager to score goals every few minutes.

Neil was still a bit rough around the edges compared to the other Ravens, was targeted by the OSU players because of that, but he was a stubborn bastard and didn’t go down from the abuse – whenever the assholes could catch him, that was. He knew well enough to put his speed to use, and was a flexible little shit on top of that.

Andrew shoved a mouthful of chips into his mouth as he fantasized about putting that flexibility to good use….

Nolan, the traitor, cheered the Ravens on while Kevin called out plays that the Foxes needed to learn, which made Nicky scoff about how he was just a ‘mere mortal’ and then Kevin to counter with how he was a lazy bastard and – it ended when Andrew threw empty beer cans at the morons.

He was so done with this shit.

When it was clear that Neil wasn’t doing any post-game interviews, he turned off the television despite the protests and kicked Nolan out, unwilling to put up with anymore Exy that night. Once it was made clear to Kevin that there wouldn’t be any evening practice, he went up to the roof to smoke a cigarette and enjoy the quiet until he received a text from Neil that he was too busy heading back to Edgar Allan to talk that night.

Oh, and he wished Andrew a good game the next day.

Andrew texted back that he hoped his plane crashed then went downstairs.

It was the usual pre-game rally frenzy on campus that Friday, with the students dressed in orange and white, banners everywhere and posters supporting the Foxes. Andrew once again cursed the person who’d picked orange and white as the university’s colors as he went to his classes, and ignored the people who wished him ‘good luck’ (from a safe distance away).

He needed to stab someone or something to get them to leave him alone.

The Foxes were even more of a neurotic mess before the game, what a surprise. Dan did her best to cheer everyone up by reminding them about how far they’d come that season, her eyes ablaze with righteous fury which contrasted with the fake smile plastered on her face, while Renee was all annoying zen ‘what happens, happens’. Allison appeared ready to claw apart anyone who mentioned ‘Bearcats’ with her fancy manicured nails, Matt was sulking since Abby had only cleared him for one quarter because of his broken fingers, and Kevin was intolerable over sitting out the game. When Nolan tried to add to it by bouncing around and declaring that he’d do his best to cover for Kevin, Nicky merely shook his head and told the ‘child’ to sit down and be quiet.

Andrew found a distant corner to hide in and did his best to nap through the ensuing squabble (Nolan was bright enough to know that Andrew would remain hands’ off with him as long as he didn’t touch Andrew’s family).

There was takeout (pizza) and a final review of the Bearcats’ stats (for all the good it would do them), another of Wymack’s lousy speeches and then they went out on court. The stadium was mostly filled with PSU fans, but some Binghamton fans had come to watch their team play– not many, though, perhaps because of the riot at the previous game.

Dan won the coin toss, but it didn’t do the Foxes any favors; even with Andrew in the goal for the entire game and determined to shut it down as much as possible, there was only so much he could do with a weak defense _and_ offense. Once Matt was out of the game, the Bearcats blew past Renee, Aaron and Nicky, while Dan and Nolan struggled to score points.

Part of Andrew wanted to concede the game at half-time just so he could take off all the damn gear and have a cigarette, especially after watching his brother and cousin put up with all the abuse the Bearcats were dishing out, but the Foxes weren’t the Foxes if they gave up so easily. They went back out on court and finished the second half, somehow managed to score a couple more points and not get red-carded (unlike Binghamton)… and lost, just as expected.

It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, considering the state of their team, something the media repeatedly pointed out in the post-game interviews. Wymack threw another party for them at Abby’s house, where Andrew once again grabbed a bottle of whiskey and headed outside to escape the whole ‘we’ll kick ass next season’ nonsense.

He sat in the GS and talked to Neil while he drank.

“Not bad tonight, not that you care, I know,” Neil told him. “I bet if Binghamton got a few more red cards, you might have won.”

“You’re right, I don’t care,” Andrew drawled. “Picture me sleeping in my bed as you’re out on court for early morning practices or working out.”

“Yeah, always fun times here.” The sarcasm was thick in Neil’s voice. “Yet somehow I doubt you’ll be sleeping in much once Abby clears Kevin.”

Andrew thought about that and clicked his tongue in disgust as he agreed. “How’s life as a main branch belonging?”

“Not bad. Not perfect, but not bad. Busy as hell, but Jean hasn’t had to stitch me up in a couple weeks so I’m not complaining.”

“You’re fucked up,” Andrew commented as he flicked ash out the window.

“I thought it was a prerequisite for being a Fox,” Neil shot back.

“Yes, but you’re a Raven now, so prim and proper in black and red, complete with a tramp stamp, even,” Andrew said as he tried not to picture how damn good Neil looked in the detested uniform.

Neil managed a faint chuckle despite the fact that the topic wasn’t amusing. “I think that means I’m even more fucked up, to be honest. I mean, look at Riko and what he did to Kevin and Jean.”

Andrew clicked his tongue again. “I must be drunk, that actually made sense for once.”

“Hmm, don’t tell anyone, I wouldn’t want to ruin my image.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll do something phenomenally stupid soon enough,” Andrew assured him – such as take on the Moriyamas for a lost cause.

That time Neil’s laugh, as faint as it was, was genuine. “Probably,” he agreed. It was quiet while Andrew had another sip of whiskey, and then Neil cleared his throat. “So, uhm, Ichirou was here for the game yesterday and discussed a few things with me.”

“Oh?” Andrew set the bottle back between his thighs, grateful for his high tolerance since he suspected that things were about to get ‘serious’. “Do tell.”

“There’s some things I can’t, not when it’s main branch stuff,” Neil said, his tone serious in such a manner that Andrew knew it would be useless to pry – at least right then, “but he brought up plans for the summer.” When Andrew remained quiet, Neil sighed and continued. “There’s a short break between when classes end and summer practice begins, not too long for the Ravens, but he’s willing to let Jean and me leave Edgar Allan. I thought that maybe… maybe we could come to Columbia?” When Andrew still didn’t say anything, Neil gave another fake laugh. “Or we can go to New York, maybe Matt can visit, along with Renee and Alli-“

“Why?” Andrew demanded to know as he tapped his fingers against the bottle. “Why is he letting you do that?” Kevin had told him that Jean never left the Nest unless it was with the Ravens or Riko, that he wasn’t trusted to leave, and here Ichirou was allowing Jean _and_ Neil to leave? “What did you give up to get him to agree to this?”

“It’s not like that!” Neil was quick to argue. “I didn’t have to do anything, it’s… it’s a little difficult to explain.” He muttered in French for a few seconds while Andrew’s impatience grew. “He wants us to be seen around, okay? To not always spend our time in the Nest. So now we can travel a bit, as long as we clear it beforehand.”

As long as they didn’t try to run away or break free, Andrew was certain, but that was left unsaid. “Makes it easier for him to send you out to do work for him if it doesn’t stand out too much, doesn’t it?” That was the only reason he could think of Ichirou Moriyama allowing Neil this bit of freedom.

There was another pause of silence before Neil responded. “Does it matter, as long as we can see each other between games and banquets? Unless you don’t want to.”

_Of course_ Andrew wanted to see the idiot, he just hated how much control Ichirou had over Neil’s life. “Find something to keep Valjean occupied during your visit, see if Renee and Reynolds will be in town, too,” he ordered as he grabbed the bottle. “Also, no Exy while you’re here.”

“Okay,” Neil agreed in a rush, his voice bright with excitement. “Jean was waiting for me to ask you before he said anything to Renee, he’d rather spend time with her, to be honest.”

Knowing Renee, she’d change her plans and come to Columbia (with Allison in tow) as soon as she heard the news, so Moreau should be fine (and busy elsewhere) during Neil’s stay. Andrew talked a little longer with Neil about the visit before Neil had to go, then thought about things while he had more whiskey.

So far, Ichirou wasn’t as bad as Riko or Tetsuji… but that was like comparing a panther to a rabid hyena – both had the potential for destruction, it was just that one was in more control at the moment than another.

If Ichirou unsheathed his claws and finally pounced? Well, Andrew would have to do something about that, wouldn’t he?

*******

Neil avoided the swipe at his feet which would have knocked him down and managed to get a decent hit on Hisoka’s left side, but that left him open for the blow to his solar plexus; as he struggled to breathe, Hisoka was able to pin him to the wall, which signaled the end of their fight. “ _You lose again, kit_ ,” Hisoka crowed in Japanese as he rubbed Neil’s sweat-soaked hair.

“ _Bastard_ ,” Neil muttered as he batted at his bodyguard’s hand; he might still be learning Japanese, but he was caught up on all the swear words and a lot of the slang, thanks to the other Ravens. Well, thanks to Riko, mostly, and the Ravens picking up on stuff because of the asshole. “When I finally manage to beat you one of these days, I’m gonna forget that this is just ‘practice’.”

“That’s the spirit!” Hisoka laughed as he stepped back. “As is, you lasted almost ten minutes today. I’m still ‘killing’ you, but you’re almost making me work for it, now.”

“I’m overcome with joy,” Neil drawled as he pushed away from the wall, only to stumble when Hisoka gave him a shove forward. “We’re not done?”

“No, we are, just trying to get you to bed a little faster.” Hisoka rolled his eyes as they made their way to the showers. “You get even more sarcastic when you’re really tired.”

Neil barely stifled a yawn as he thought about his bed. “Then I’m almost at 100% right now.”

Hisoka agreed with him and went over the next day’s schedule while they washed off; morning workout followed by a brief practice, two classes which Neil showed up for attendance, the rest of his day spent at the Nest where he either practiced or studied Japanese and whatever else Ichirou required of him and a rare break from his sparring lessons since it was the night that the Trojans played the Bearcats in the semi-finals, and Tetsuji wanted the Ravens to watch the game.

Neil didn’t understand why the ERC didn’t have the Ravens play both teams back to back first instead of pitching them against the Trojans next week and the Bearcats after that, since it would just drag out Binghamton’s elimination. Oh well, it would provide more of an opportunity for Riko to rant and rave on camera, he supposed.

Speaking of Riko… Neil watched his ‘king’ leave Sara and Emery’s room, his hair disheveled and black t-shirt riding up on the one side. Riko stiffened once he noticed Neil (with Hisoka at his side) then sneered, but he’d finally learned not to come close (to keep his hands to himself). “I see you two were off doing some ‘relaxing’, too.” He grimaced in disgust as he eyed Neil up and down. “I hope you cleaned up after yourself, Four.”

“Yes, Captain.” Neil knew that the best way to get beneath Riko’s skin was to show no emotion at the insult; as expected, Riko’s face grew flushed before he stomped off like a child throwing a tantrum.

Hisoka appeared unaffected by the slander as well, probably because he preferred it to the truth getting out that he was training Neil to do less than savory things. Neil didn’t believe that Ichirou intended for him to replace his father, not _exactly_ , but rather that he wanted as ‘useful’ an asset as possible.

Neil still didn’t know how he felt about the prospect of being ‘useful’, but he wouldn’t mind putting some of his new (newly enhanced) skills to the test on a certain ‘king’. If only Ichirou would give him the order.

“Some people should have been smothered at birth,” he muttered while he resumed walking to his room.

Hisoka snorted at the comment, as he did every time Neil ‘joked’ about changing Riko’s living status. “So it’s been said.” He was quiet when Sara passed them, intent on returning to her own room now that Emery was done ‘entertaining’ Riko; she gave Neil a slight nod in passing, the rivalry between them put on hold until they were out on court. “Tell me, is Andrew going to be jealous about our new relationship?”

Neil nearly tripped over nothing at the question but caught himself in time. “I really will kill you one of these days,” he declared as he tried to knock his elbow into the bastard’s side, while Hisoka grinned and edged away in time. “He’ll probably say ‘good riddance’ and foist me off on you.” Andrew didn’t strike him as the jealous type… not that there was anything between the two of them besides… well, they were barely more than friends, if that.

There was another snort as Hisoka shook his head, right around when they reached the room Neil shared with Jean. “In other words, _very_.” He rolled his eyes when Neil gave him an incredulous look. “Don’t let Jean fuss over you too long tonight, get some sleep.” He paused for a moment as he used the key card to unlock the door. “ ** _He_** _will be here for the game next week_.”

“ _I understand_.” Neil bowed his head in both acknowledgement and ‘good night’ before he went into the room, certain that Hisoka would be there in the morning to see him and Jean through another day at the Nest.

As expected, Jean was waiting for him and jumped up from his bed to approach once Neil was inside. “ _Well? How bad was it tonight_?” he demanded to know in French.

Neil shrugged as he began to undress for the night. “ _For once, my ribs don’t feel like a gorilla pounded on them, so I’d say… good_?”

“ _You are a masochistic fool_ ,” Jean sneered while he waited until Neil’s shirt was removed to (carefully, gently, with slow, telegraphed motions) poke and prod at his chest then examine his face and head. “ _You do realize that you only get one brain upon birth, yes_?”

“Yes,” Neil gritted out as Jean’s long fingers gently felt along his head for bumps, his glare focused on Jean’s collarbones at the moment because _tall bastard_.

“ _And yet here you are, so determined to bash it into dust. One can tell you’re half British_.” Jean’s frown deepened as he stepped back. “ _Are you sure your father wasn’t British, too_?”

“ _Maybe he was French, considering how he died like a little bitch at the hands of a British person_ ,” Neil taunted, only to wince when his hair was given a quick tug. “ _Bastard_.”

Jean finally stepped away, his grey eyes filled with a (no longer rare) spark of annoyance. “ _No sign of concussion, not that it matters when you have so little brains for them to be affected_.”

“ _Too bad, would be nice to fall asleep and not wake up_ ,” Neil proclaimed as he went over to his dresser to grab something to wear to bed.

“ _I wouldn’t be so lucky_ ,” Jean sniffed as he returned to his side of the room.

To think that some people believed that Jean was so quiet and impassive; Neil inwardly scoffed at that while he got dressed for the night then went to brush his teeth before stretching out on his bed. “Riko seems to think there’s something going on with me and Hisoka.” At Jean’s incredulous expression, he shrugged while he slipped beneath the blankets. “He threw that in my face when we caught him coming out of Emery’s room.”

Jean’s face wrinkled in disgust. “Ah, now Sara’s comments make sense.” He didn’t explain that any further, and Neil decided it wasn’t important. “What did you do?”

“Nothing, it was clear he wanted some sort of reaction so we didn’t respond.”

“Good.” Jean nodded in approval. “The more he realizes the less power he has over you, the more it’ll bother him.”

“Agreed.”

At first, Jean hadn’t been behind the ‘drive Riko crazy (crazier)’ plan, but once he realized that Ichirou was serious about the whole ‘you belong to the main branch and are not to be touched by the side branch anymore’ deal… well, Jean had been through a lot because of Riko. A _lot_. Who wouldn’t want a bit of payback after all of that?

As long as it didn’t cost Neil anything else (anymore deals), then Jean slowly lost his reserve and gave his input on what would affect Riko the most. Neil was a good judge of character after all his years on the run, after living with abusive people like his father, the Malcolms and DiMaccio, but Jean had mostly grown up with Riko.

Jean had mostly grown up as Riko’s ‘toy’ to abuse, so while Neil’s ‘defection’ was bad enough, it was paltry compared to _Jean_ being declared out of reach, to now being ‘Ichirou’s’ and not ‘Riko’s’. For Riko to find himself checked when he reached out to harm someone he saw as a human punching bag, whom he’d always been able to order around and abuse since Jean had been dragged into the Nest.

Between Riko having lost the small bit of power he had to his brother, who still ignored his existence, the growing buzz about how well the Foxes would do next season with several new recruits and an energized Kevin Day (regardless of Riko’s repeated attempts to slander his former partner), surprise visits from the College Board, and a sudden losing streak of the Detroit Chargers – Riko’s professional team… well, the entire team was on edge around their captain, except for Neil and Jean. If it weren’t for the deal Neil had made with Ichirou and Hisoka’s watchful presence, Neil suspected that he and Jean would be hoping that Riko left off at broken bones during one of his ‘temper tantrums’.

Riko was off with the Chargers when the Ravens gathered to watch the Trojans play the Bearcats, which actually turned out to be an enjoyable evening at the Nest. It wasn’t like the few movie parties which Neil had attended with the upperclassmen back at PSU, with alcohol (which he’d ignored), pizza and lots of other snacks, but there was flavored water, fruit and vegetables, along with a few other snacks which the team’s strict dieticians approved of for the event. He grabbed a bowl of fruit, a pack of almonds, and a bottle of water, while Jean went for water, edamame and seasoned rice cakes.

There were still some Ravens whom Neil avoided ( _Lev_ ), but he’d made friends with a few of them and got along with others (could understand them and their drive to be the best, could understand that the need to beat him at all costs once out on the court wasn’t anything personal – especially when he was equally determined to beat them, too). He had Jean at his side and the teammates around him were the ones he trusted the most (not a lot, but the most, relatively speaking), while Hisoka leaned against the wall not too far away.

Neil could relax a little for a while, could slump against a snarky French bastard while they watched the Trojans annihilate the Bearcats (and ignore the way that Jean filched his blueberries) while his team mercilessly mocked Binghamton for each missed goal and flubbed pass, for each red card and interception, for their overall pathetic show out on court. To be fair, the Ravens also mocked the hell out of the Trojans for being so ‘nice’ and not smacking the Bearcats down over all their attempts to pick fights or play dirty.

“See that right there?” Sara said as she pointed out how a Bearcat backliner had tried to trip the Trojan’s captain. “I bet you twenty bucks that I’ll have him on his ass for that without the refs any wiser.”

Neil glanced at Hisoka, who frowned for a moment until Neil arched an eyebrow then nodded once. “How about this,” he offered with a smile which made Jean tense up at once. “Twenty bucks for each time we put those assholes in their place when we play them next week, and whoever does it the most wins the bet.”

Sara pursed her lips at that while Karl leaned forward in interest. “Are all the strikers in on it, or just you scrawny bastards?” He laughed when Sara threw an empty water bottle at his head.

“All,” Sara and Neil said at the same time, which made Karl and Toby grin.

At that point, the game had restarted, so the Ravens were back to their mocking play-by-play; Jean nudged Neil in the side after another minute. “ _What is that about? What if you lose?_ ” They didn’t have much money to their name since Tetsuji didn’t give them the usual Raven stipend.

“ _Hisoka will cover it_.” At Jean’s doubtful look, Neil shook his head. “ _We’re supposed to get along better with the team, and this will help_.” Or at least, Neil was, per Hisoka (per _Ichirou_ ); his teammates would think better of him if he was less antagonistic or standoffish with them, which would be better for… well, for some reason that was important to Ichirou.

Neil tried not to think too much about Ichirou.

“ _If you need to get along better with people then we’re doomed_ ,” Jean muttered as he snagged another blueberry.

“ _Oh, did someone clothesline Knox_?” Neil asked, which made the French bastard choke on the fruit (at least for a couple seconds); once Jean had cleared his throat, he shoved his hand in Neil’s face for the ‘joke’.

Hmm, so he hadn’t been imagining things, then, had he? Someone seemed to pay extra attention whenever the Trojan’s very enthusiastic and cheerful captain was out on court, wasn’t that interesting? Especially since they talked to Renee on an almost daily basis.

Hmm.

It wasn’t a surprise to anyone when the Trojans won the game by fifteen points; the most amusing part of the whole thing was watching the post-game interview where Knox tried so hard to continue with the whole ‘best spirit’ thing the Trojans had going on by not belittling Binghamton while it was clear that the other team had no business being in the semifinals in the first place.

“Seriously, is it that difficult for these guys to say ‘this team sucked so we won’?” Susan asked as she stood up, her left hand balled into the small of her back.

“And lose their Kayleigh Day Spirit Award?” Naomi asked with an exaggerated gasp. “They need some sort of consolation prize.”

The majority of the Ravens agreed as they left the room, leaving it to the staff to clean up after them; Neil nodded to Jean to go on without him since he intended to call Andrew (and allow Jean some privacy to talk to Renee and maybe even Allison), then headed to one of the break rooms with Hisoka (certain that Susan, Karl or one of the others would see Jean safely to their room, especially since Riko was gone).

Andrew answered on the second ring, and judging from the lack of voices around him, had to be up on the roof. “Did you watch the game?”

There was an annoyed tongue click before he answered. “Of course we did, Kevin wanted to see his precious Trojans play, though I admit there was some satisfaction with the others to watch Binghamton get their asses handed to them like that.”

“What about you?” Neil asked. “Did you enjoy it?”

“Like I care about this stupid game,” Andrew replied in that flat manner of his, which wasn’t unexpected.

“Well, the next few weeks will be busy, considering Kevin will have his heart broken when we beat USC, then we get to utterly crush Binghamton after that, so maybe that’ll make him feel a bit better, at least until we beat USC at finals again.” Neil wasn’t happy with all those games back to back and really wished that the ERC would have set things up to eliminate Binghamton right away.

Andrew scoffed, the sound faint, before he lit a cigarette. “Someone’s full of themselves, aren’t they?”

“Hmm?” Neil turned to lean against the counter while Hisoka tapped away on his own phone, yet was positioned to watch the door. “I’ll admit that I still have a way to go to truly earn my number, but the Ravens are as strong as ever. I don’t see us losing to the Trojans this year.” Even with Riko being erratic and Kevin gone, there was Jean and the rest of the team was almost as good.

It was quiet while Andrew inhaled and exhaled a couple times. “Someone’s been fully assimilated, haven’t they?”

“Eh.” It took a few seconds for Neil to figure out what that meant. “Did I join the team willingly? No.” He didn’t glance at Hisoka while he spoke and didn’t think it would be a good idea to switch to German right then. “But I’m a Raven now and that’s not going to change. I’ve got four more years, so what’s wrong with doing my best while I’m here? To get along with them?” They weren’t the Foxes… but most of them weren’t bad.

“Including Federov?” There was an oddly intent note to Andrew’s deep voice when he mentioned the backliner’s name.

Neil frowned as he thought about Lev, who didn’t approach him or Jean anymore because of Hisoka. “He’s leaving me alone now.”

“Because of the bodyguard?”

Andrew always had been quick to pick up things. “Yes.”

“No one else is bothering you like that?”

Neil felt his face heat up at the question, especially when Hisoka paused in doing whatever he was on his phone to gaze at him. “Uhm… I’m sure Kevin can tell you about how things are here, about how the team… well, there’s not a lot of chances to go out and date and… you know.” He rubbed at the back of his neck as he tried to explain the Ravens’ rather freestyle ‘dating’ approach with each other. “I’ve been asked if I was interested by a couple people, which I’m _not_ , and they accepted it. I think Jean said something about me being involved with someone back at PSU.” He’d seen his partner pull a few Ravens aside, and the offers had stopped after that.

There was the sound of Andrew’s lighter clicking a few times and then a long exhale. “As long as it’s stopped, and it’s no more than offers.”

“It has and it’s not,” Neil assured Andrew. “So, uhm, no Eden’s tonight?”

That led to Andrew complaining (as much as he ever ‘complained’) about the ongoing fight with his brother, and about Nicky being an idiot and needing extra time to complete a project for his media class so they were on campus for the weekend. They’d be back in Columbia next weekend to check on the house, though yes, Andrew was certain that Kevin would want to drool over his precious Knox running around in tight spandex so they’d watch the game.

Neil found it interesting when Andrew made a comment in regards to the argument with Aaron that ‘something would have to be resolved by the end of the semester’ and wondered about the timing; did it have anything to do with their plans for the summer? He chewed on his bottom lip for a few seconds after the call ended, thoughts focused on the twins’ complicated relationship, until Hisoka urged him to go to bed.

It was a good thing that they got some rest that night, because the next day was a series of punishing rounds of scrimmages out on court; only the possibility of Aldrich or someone from the College Board stopping by kept Tetsuji in check when it came time to ‘correct’ them for any mistakes, but it didn’t stop him from working them into the ground (well, lacquered wooden boards). They found out the cause around midday – the Chargers lost another game, with Riko evicted in the first quarter with a red card for excessive brutality. Apparently, he’d checked someone hard enough that they’d left the court on a stretcher and were still in the hospital.

Even those Ravens who were loyal to their ‘king’ were muttering complaints about him by the time Tetsuji finally called an end to practice for the day. Neil felt as if his legs were made of rubber and the muscles in his arms were minutes from being blown out, and he leaned against an equally exhausted Jean for a couple seconds before they stumbled into the locker room together.

The week didn’t get much better, not when a surly Riko returned, only too happy to take his foul temper out on any convenient targets around him… which only worsened his mood when he realized that didn’t include Jean or Neil. Things were thrown in the locker room, people were insulted to the point of tears in the hallway for the slightest (often imagined) mistake, workouts were a new opportunity to bully as he pushed people past their limits, and practices became a new type of hell as he targeted opposing players with excessive force. When he slammed Toby into the wall hard enough that the sophomore striker didn’t stand back up, Tetsuji finally refused to allow him back on court.

(All the while, Hisoka watched and tapped away on his phone.)

The only positive Neil had going for him during the stressful time was that he basically just had to show up for class and stay awake; between dealing with Riko’s increasing aggressiveness, the semi-playoffs and all the media attention it brought (extra attention since he had to step in when Riko stormed out of interviews because of his erratic moods) as well as the lessons which Ichirou expected of him (Japanese, learning the main branch’s organizational structure and fighting), he didn’t have enough time in the day to keep up with his class work as well. He didn’t know who did it (certainly not Hisoka), but each morning his assignments were complete and ready to be handed in, and ‘he’ passed all of his exams.

He’d been upset at first when told about it… but he got to play Exy, he still learned something by attending classes, he was still alive (Andrew and Jean and the Foxes were still alive). It was more than he’d expected months ago, than he’d ever thought to achieve while on the run with his mother. It also wouldn’t do him any good if he flunked out because of being too tired to write a proper essay or study for an exam.

Though there were times when he was sore from practicing with Hisoka or when he fumbled for a word in English (which always amused his teammates), when he wondered why he even bothered to get any sleep at all.

“Nice interview,” Andrew told him the day before the Trojans game. “Is it a talent spending half the interview badmouthing a different team than you’re actually playing?”

Neil grinned as he sat on top of the counter in the break room and sipped a bottle of pomegranate juice. “I just commented on how we would give them more of a challenge than Binghamton, which is the truth, and the interviewers seized upon it.” Which had led into how if the fans wanted to watch an interesting game, they’d best tune into the Ravens playing against the Trojans instead of the Bearcats, because it would be rather boring to watch such a woefully uneven match unless people liked bloodbaths.

“I’m surprised that Tetsuji didn’t yank you away from the cameras.”

“Hmm, no one likes the Bearcats after what happened to you guys so it was fine. If I was tearing apart the Trojans, it would be a different thing,” Neil explained as he thumped his heels against the cabinet. Even he knew that badmouthing the Division I team with the best reputation for playing fair was a terrible idea… that and him taking on Binghamton had been a good distraction from Riko’s latest meltdown; better clips of him being his usual mouthy self than Riko’s deranged ranting after being asked about his last game with the Chargers.

It was pretty bad when _Neil_ was being used as damage control.

“Anyway, try not to be jealous as I fly to California tomorrow. It’s not too late to get a ticket to come cheer me on, you know,” Neil teased since he remembered Andrew’s fear of heights.

“I hope your plane crashes into USC’s stadium,” Andrew told him, deep voice perfectly devoid of emotion. “That way I’m rid of two annoying teams.”

“Hmm, but think of how sad Kevin would be, then,” Neil murmured before he had another sip of juice.

“Another benefit to the whole thing. Now get some sleep, junkie, and hit Knox at least once for me.”

Neil managed to wish Andrew a good night before his friend hung up, then finished his juice and jumped off the counter. “I’m being encouraged to commit violence,” he told Hisoka as they left the room.

The bodyguard’s eyes went wide in mock surprise. “I could never imagine such a thing,” he intoned in a grave manner, which made Neil scoff. “ _You know the rules.”_

“ _Don’t get caught_ ,” Neil sang out as he stretched his arms above his head, still sore (he was always sore anymore) from their session earlier that night. “I don’t think you’re a very good influence on me.”

It was Hisoka’s turn to scoff. “Kit, have you ever had a good influence in your life?”

A rather sad question, but a good one. Perhaps Wymack could have been one… but no use in thinking about ‘maybes’, was there?

Neil was spared from answering when Riko stumbled across them, something he wasn’t sure he was grateful for when he could smell the alcohol emanating from the man while several feet away. Riko’s bloodshot eyes widened when he noticed Neil, and something full of rage and bitterness twisted his expression as he lurched forward – only to be stopped by Hisoka, who shoved him off to the side.

“You… you can’-“

“Go to your room,” Hisoka ordered Neil as he twisted Riko’s arms behind his back, which put a halt to his slurred complaints. “I’ll take care of this.”

There was a stern note to Hisoka’s voice that reminded Neil of his mother just then, which made him nod once and hurry to obey; he didn’t stop until he was in his room and the door locked behind him.

Jean looked up from where he was studying at his desk and frowned. “Is… did something happen?”

Neil shrugged as he sat down on his bed. “Ran into a drunk Riko,” he explained. “Hisoka’s handling him.”

Jean’s frown deepened. “Tetsuji’s not going to be pleased when he learns about that.” Meaning that Riko’s mood would worsen even more.

“Yeah.” Neil rubbed at the back of his neck and missed Andrew so much right then, missed his friend’s comforting presence. “I pity whoever’s stuck next to him on the flight tomorrow.”

“Indeed.” Jean seemed to think about it for a moment then shook his head and shared some of his conversation with Renee; Neil was glad that she and the upperclassmen were doing well, and that Renee and Allison would join Jean in Columbia during their vacation.

After Jean did his nightly ‘how much of a masochistic idiot were you’ check, Neil got ready for bed, aware that the next day would be a long one. They both slept as much as possible, then didn’t get any break between the morning workout, practice, review session, and interviews until they were on the first leg of the flight to California. As expected, Riko was in a foul mood (as was Tetsuji), and lashed out at anyone who came too close.

Saburo, one of the assistant coaches, was stuck next to him on the plane, probably in hopes of watching over him. He certainly had his hands full, considering Riko’s rude attitude toward any fans who approached and how the rest of the Ravens stayed far away, unwilling to be bullied or worse (especially before an important game).

Neil chewed on a hangnail while he watched a harried Saburo send away the flight attendant when Riko tried to order a drink. “ _Do you think we could convince someone during an interview to ask him about his string of red cards, his other team’s losing streak, how well K is doing without him, his family and how he’s been a raving lunatic lately, then just watch him implode_?” Those were the main triggers which sent Riko into a rage those days.

Jean glanced up from the paperback he’d brought along for the flight (something Renee had recommended) to gaze in Riko’s direction for a moment then shook his head. “ _Only if we’re very far away_ _at the time_.”

True, Neil suspected that when Riko finally did snap, it would be spectacular in the ‘incredibly messy and violent’ way. It didn’t mean he couldn’t wait for it to happen, though, not whenever he felt the new scars on his body, saw the ‘4’ tattoo on his cheek, or watched how Jean minutely flinched away from all but a select few people.

Neil didn’t know what he’d expected of USC, not after a semester as a Fox and now one as a Raven (after being treated as a joke by most of the teams in the southeastern division and then hated by the rest for being on the top-ranked one), but it wasn’t all the friendly greetings and the ‘how are you, hope the flight was okay and everything’s all right, let us know if it’s not’ which were actually _sincere_. For Coach Rheman to be appear earnest when he checked in that the Ravens had everything they needed and unaffected by Tetsuji’s cold demeanor (Neil remembered how the man had stood up for the Foxes after Andrew was checked in to Easthaven), for Jeremy Knox to laugh and smile despite Riko’s withering putdowns.

When Riko stalked away from the Trojan’s captain, Jeremy’s smile faltered for a moment before it returned once he noticed Neil and Jean standing off to the side. “Jean!” the striker called out as he approached, blue eyes bright with good humor and sun-bleached blond hair already flattened as if he’d been practicing earlier that day. “It’s good to see you again!” Neil noticed that he stopped a respectful distance from them then nodded. “And Neil, nice to meet you in person at last. I’ve heard a lot of good things about you. It’s been fun watching you improve over the season.”

“Uhm, thank you.” Neil wasn’t used to people complimenting him. “Kevin has a lot of good things to say about you, uhm, too.”

That made Jeremy laugh as he ran his right hand over his hair. “Kevin’s a great guy, if a bit tough on people because of his high standards. I was hoping to play against him and the Foxes, but, well….” His face twisted with something like remorse. “Things don’t always work out.”

“They would have made it if it wasn’t for the riot,” Neil said while Jean’s attention appeared riveted on Knox.

“I think so, too,” Jeremy agreed before he smiled at Jean. “But at least I get to play against you! Today and at finals, I’m willing to bet.”

“You get to lose against us, as always,” Jean sneered. “One would think you’d be bored of it by now.”

“Hmm, you never know, we may surprise you one of these days.”

Jean sniffed with obvious disdain while he tugged on Neil’s left sleeve. “I’ve more hopes of this one gaining an iota of common sense before that will happen, which is _never_. Goodbye, Jeremy. I hope you don’t take your oncoming defeat too hard.”

The sound of Knox’s bright laughter followed them across the inner court, to where Akagi was calling out instructions on the team’s pre-game warm-ups. _“I thought you had a thing going on with Renee,”_ Neil said once they found an open spot and began stretching.

“ _What are you babbling about now_?” Jean’s thick brows drew together as he glanced at Neil for a moment.

Neil almost pointed out what had seemed to be flirting back there between the two men even to _him_ , before he decided to just let it go; either his partner didn’t want to talk about it or wasn’t aware that Knox was interested in him… or maybe wasn’t ready to face it yet. “ _I do too have common sense_.”

“ _You have the common sense of an addled mayfly.”_

“ _What does that even mean?”_

“ _You’ve just proven my point_!”

“ _There has to be a way to leave you behind when we fly back tonight_.”

“ _Someone with **common sense** could figure it out, so I know I’ll be fine_!”

They bickered the entire time they warmed up (which provoked much amusement from their teammates and declarations of taking French next year), until Jean was pulled to go assist with the pre-game interviews. They shared a glance between them before he left, then Neil went over to where Hisoka stood while he wanted for his turn to take practice shots on the goal with the rest of the strikers.

“ _Someone misbehaving?”_ he asked in Japanese as he spun his racquet between his hands.

“ _Didn’t like the questions_ ,” Hisoka said while he gazed around the court and at the seats filled with fans dressed in red and gold, even a good bit in black and red, then stared at Neil. “ _Be good tonight, kit_.” He tapped his right index finger against his left cheek before nodding once.

Hisoka was young enough that he didn’t set Neil on edge like an older man would (someone his father’s age), was patient with him while he learned Japanese and the new fighting skills, was friendly and good humored… but he was Ichirou’s man first and foremost. He protected Neil and Jean because Ichirou had ordered him to do it, and it would be foolish to believe that they were his only priority. Right then, Hisoka had reminded Neil that they both answered to Ichirou, and _Ichirou_ wanted him on his best behavior.

(It also implied that Ichirou might be growing tired of someone’s bad behavior.)

“ _Understood_ ,” Neil said with a slight bow of his head before he returned to practice.

When Jean rejoined the team, right before the game against the Trojans was about to start, he appeared even paler than normal. “ _Bad_?” Neil asked as he bumped his shoulder into the tall bastard’s arm.

“ _Why he’s allowed in front of cameras anymore, I don’t know_.” Jean leaned against him for a few seconds before he straightened up. “ _Curb your fool tongue for once_.”

“ _I will, just because you asked so sweetly_ ,” he said with a smile, which grew when his partner gave him incredulous look; he decided to keep Hisoka’s warning to himself a little longer since the game was about to start.

They took their places out on court; Riko had won control of the ball, and _somehow_ nearly hit one of the Trojan’s backliners as it flew down the court. There was a rare echo of boos from the Trojans fans over that… boos which were repeated during the game when it became clear that Riko was determined to beat their team bloody.

Anger bubbled up in Neil at the thought of how Andrew was labeled a monster for defending his family, yet no one touched Riko despite all of his violent tendencies.

Riko was pulled toward the end of the first quarter with a yellow card, which was more time on the court than he should have had, and things settled down as the Ravens played hard but (mostly) clean against the Trojans. They had some tricks which managed to go undetected by the referees, but they kept them to a minimum when playing against a team which relied on skill and not roughhousing to win.

It was the second toughest game in Neil’s collegiate Exy career that far, but it was also the most exhilarating one, being part of something with two teams so well-matched. The Trojans did their best to block the Ravens from their goal, but slowly gave up enough points that the Ravens took the lead.

Unfortunately, it seemed that it wasn’t a big enough lead to appease Tetsuji since he allowed Riko back onto court for the final quarter. Neil noticed the frustration on Karl’s face as he was pulled to let Riko to play, and braced himself for things to get nasty once again.

Especially since the normally cheerful Trojans fans took to jeering once Riko was out on court.

He could see the tension in Riko’s posture at the hostile noise, the brittleness in Riko’s ‘smile’ behind the mask, and sighed as he waited for the buzzer to sound. Once the game resumed, Riko was after the ball like a shark scenting blood in the water, determined to snatch it away from the Trojans and score a point at all costs. Whatever he said to Emery when he neared the offensive dealer made Emery almost always throw the ball to Riko, despite Neil being better positioned a few times – and cost them a goal when Knox managed to intercept it before Riko caught it.

Neil had a bad feeling when he saw Riko charge after the USC captain, and knew he wasn’t alone when Jean did the same; they weren’t able to catch up in time to prevent Riko from holding his racquet out horizontally and _slamming_ Knox into the wall as he all but leapt at the young man.

The game halted at the blatant foul; Neil thought that the Trojan backliner, Alverez, was about to land a punch on Riko, before he grabbed his captain by the back of the jersey (he wanted to throttle the prick, but barely remembered Hisoka’s warning in time) and swung him over to Mike and Emery for ‘safe keeping’.

“ _Fucking bastard deserves to have his face broken_ ,” Alverez spat out in Spanish as she glared after Riko.

“ _Yes_ ,” Neil agreed in the same language, which startled her and another Trojan. “ _But you don’t deserve a red card for doing it_.”

“Huh.” Alverez (he thought her first name was Sara, too) gave him an appraising look while the other Trojan went to join Jean, who was next to Knox. “Not bad, rookie.” She gave him a two-fingered salute similar to Andrew’s before she also checked on her captain.

It took a few minutes before the medic gave Knox the okay to get up, but he was benched for the rest of the game, which did nothing to placate the fans despite Riko being red carded. The Trojans were determined to win after that, but the Ravens (Jean, Susan and Mike) shut down their goal while Neil and Sara (their Sara) managed to score a couple more points.

There were some boos and jeers when the final buzzer rang, but for the most part, the Trojan fans quietly got up and left the stadium (were a hell of a lot better behaved than the Bearcats fans); they knew that the Ravens and Trojans would play in the finals and probably bided their time for the rematch. Knox came out for the post-game handshake, but Riko didn’t (a wise choice at last by Tetsuji).

“You know we’re going to pull out all the stops next time,” he said with a grin while he shook Jean’s hand – seemed to shake it for longer than necessary.

“You’ll still lose, but let’s hope there’s less… drama then.” Jean appeared to pull his hand free with some reluctance.

“Yeah, drama.” Knox’s smile slipped for a moment, but was back in time for Neil to shake his hand. “You’re not gonna clobber me, are you?”

“If I did, you wouldn’t get back up,” Neil assured him.

“Ha ha ha- ow!, don’t make me laugh so hard, it hurts!”

Meanwhile, Alverez gave Neil another assessing look while she shook his hand, right before Jean dragged him away.

Jean didn’t have much of a chance to berate him for long over his ‘terrible sense of humor’ (which he blamed on Neil being British, of course), since Neil had to do the post-game interview with Karl. They managed all right at first, covering the usual ‘how was the game’ questions and their thoughts on how the Trojans had played (well, of course, as expected of the second-best team in Division I), and then someone from ESPN had to ask about Riko.

“What do you think is behind Riko’s behavior earlier tonight? Actually, his behavior the last few weeks?”

Neil gave Karl’s arm a light tap to let him know he’d answer it; his fellow striker was quick to back away from the mics and leave it to him. Mindful of his orders, Neil managed a respectful expression while he smoothed out the red fabric on the table at which he sat. “Riko is a very talented player, one of the best strikers in Exy. As much as I’ve disagreed with him in the past, I can’t deny that he is very talented and hardworking, considering that he splits his time between the Ravens, the Chargers and Court. While I’m not close to him other than as a teammate, I can say that in the past year or so, he’s dealt with a lot of changes – he’s recently lost his father,” they didn’t need to know that Kengo had never been involved in his life as anything other than a sperm donor, “the support of a brother when Kevin Day left the Ravens,” that was difficult to say with a straight face, “and has moved the Ravens to a new district. Those are only what we know of, and it’s a lot of pressure to put on a young man, even one as talented as Riko.” Toward the back of the room, Hisoka nodded in approval while various reporters murmured in agreement.

“So you think it’s fine, what he did to Knox in tonight’s game?” someone from Exy World asked.

“No,” Neil was quick to clarify. “He deserved that red card, and I’m sure that’s why Coach Moriyama didn’t fight the call. I was asked about what I thought might have caused his behavior, not if what he’s doing is acceptable.” Beside him, Karl nodded in agreement.

That appeared to mollify the room and got the questions away from Riko. They were asked about the game with Binghamton next week, which Neil left to Karl; when someone brought up that he wasn’t answering them, he smiled and said that he thought he’d talked about the team enough already and so might bore them. The interview ended with everyone laughing while Akagi hustled Neil and Karl off so they could make their flight back to Charleston.

Once again, none of the team seemed eager to be near Riko, not even Lev or Emery, and the assistant coaches were busy keeping the fans and reporters away from the surly asshole. Neil was fine with letting his teammates deal with the fans asking for autographs and photos while they waited for their flights, mostly invisible off to the side while he exchanged texts with Andrew (and Jean with Renee).

As shocking as Riko’s behavior had been the night before, the Ravens were unprepared to find him relegated to the outer court to run laps and practice drills by himself while they skirmished under Tetsuji’s (baleful) watchful eye. Everyone, even Neil, had enough sense to keep their mouths shut and devote their attention to practice since Tetsuji didn’t seem in the mood (less in the mood) to tolerate failure.

By the time he finally let them go for the day, Neil’s back had been caned five times, and he counted himself lucky that had been all – _Jean_ had been struck two times.

Riko was still running laps when they were told to shower then go eat.

“ _He’s actually being punished for once_?” Neil murmured as he staggered toward his locker – as much in shock as in exhaustion.

Jean pursed his full lips as if determining whether or not to say anything. “ _It’s happened before, after Kevin…._ ”

“Ah.” Neil glared at the inside of his locker as no more of an explanation was needed; how nice that Riko maimed someone and only got yanked from a couple games then had to run around for a while as punishment.

How nice that it obviously had no effect on the lunatic, yet Tetsuji didn’t do anything different when his spoiled nephew acted up yet again.

Hisoka gave Neil another break from sparring lessons that night because of the day’s practice, but insisted that he work on his Japanese instead. He sat with his laptop on his bed in front of him and stretched out on his stomach with icepacks on his back to help dull the pain from Tetsuji’s ‘reprimand’ earlier. Before he went to bed, he went into the bathroom so he could call Andrew (and leave Jean some privacy to talk to Renee).

“Were you impressed by our game?”

“Too much red, it made my eyes hurt so I closed them and fell asleep,” Andrew drawled.

Neil smiled as he leaned back against the mirror. “I’ll give you that, the Trojans’ stadium is almost as bad as yours.”

“There is nothing ‘mine’ about that garish pile of cement,” Andrew informed him with an offended sniff.

“Ah, my mistake. What did Kevin think about the game?” Neil knew how much Kevin idolized the Trojans, the only team in the Class I Division (other than the Ravens) he talked about with respect.

After playing against them, he understood why that was so.

Andrew clicked his tongue after exhaling, which made Neil believe that his friend was up on the roof (as almost always). “He’s stunned that Riko took down Knox like that. Thought he knew better.”

Him and everyone else. “Yeah, someone’s forgetting that he’s not supposed to be an abusive asshole while the cameras are on.”

It was quiet for a few seconds while Neil rolled his shoulders to work out the stiffness in his back before Andrew spoke again. “And is he being an abusive asshole off-camera?”

“Not to me or Jean,” Neil assured him. “I told you that-“

“Yes, but Kevin didn’t think he’d take down one of the most popular strikers while playing the team synonymous with ‘fair play’, either,” Andrew argued. “Which is why you’ll call me if that changes.”

Neil huffed as he slumped against the mirror again. “Are you and Renee that determined to break in here again?”

“I think she’s taken the whole ‘Joan of Exy’ thing to heart,” Andrew complained after he clicked his tongue again. “I’m thinking of getting her a sword as a present this year.”

“I’m sure she’ll love it,” Neil murmured as a smile tugged at his lips.

“Neil….”

He sighed as he forced himself to jump down from the sink. “Yes, I promise,” he swore since he knew what Andrew wanted. “But it won’t come to that, you’ll see.”

Andrew snorted as he flicked his lighter. “Says the idiot martyr who lives to cause trouble. I’ll start looking at swords right now.”

“For you or Renee?” Neil’s smile strengthened when Andrew hung up without answering, especially when he imagined his friend storming into the Nest with a broadsword longer than he was tall.

He walked into Jean saying something in French to Renee before hanging up; at his curious look, his partner shook his head. “She’s learning French, along with Allison.” Jean stared at the phone in his hand with an incredulous expression.

Of course Renee was, she was that type of person (and Allison had probably seized upon it as a personal challenge). “How is she doing?”

“Surprisingly well,” Jean admitted as he set his phone down then stretched out on his bed.

Somehow, Neil wasn’t surprised by that. “If she starts talking about sword lessons, let me know.” He got an odd look for the remark, but it wasn’t anything new and Jean knew better by then not to ask.

The week continued much the way it started, with Riko doing drills and laps while the Ravens prepared for their game against Binghamton (not that they really needed to do much). Considering Riko’s instability, Tetsuji didn’t allow any media into Castle Evermore… which only fed into the speculation that something was going on with the Ravens’ star striker.

Neil and Jean spent half an hour one evening scrolling through the comments on one of the collegiate Exy forums before they went to bed, and could only hope that no one brought them to Riko’s attention; there were a lot of fans unhappy about Knox being injured and what they felt to be Riko’s arrogant attitude.

There were a lot of fans who believed that Riko deserved more than a one game suspension, that he came across as too entitled just because his uncle helped to create the sport – especially when his rabid fans tried to support him.

There were a lot of fans who were beginning to wonder if perhaps there wasn’t something to the talk a couple years ago about Kevin Day being the better striker….

The game against the Bearcats was held at Castle Evermore (no one seemed willing to risk another riot by holding the semi-playoffs at Binghamton), and a grim-faced Tetsuji sat beside a tense Riko for the pre-game interview, along with Neil and Jean. Tetsuji did most of the talking, though Neil and Jean took over answering questions while Riko’s smile grew more and more brittle – especially when asked about their game against the Trojans.

As interviews went, Neil ranked it right up there with the one he’d done with Kathy Fernandez.

Equally as uncomfortable? Suiting up then prepping for a game with someone who wouldn’t play in it, someone more unstable than an overheating nuclear reactor; Riko glared at everyone on the team while he stood next to Tetsuji as they went through their usual pre-game routine.

Neil was beginning to wonder if Andrew wasn’t right to worry.

Even if he was benched because of the red card, Riko still participated in the coin toss, which he lost. Despite that advantage, the Bearcats didn’t stand a chance while out on court with the Ravens (even a Raven like Neil); Naomi snatched up the ball right away and threw it to Sara, who didn’t stop grinning once she scored the first goal of the game – the first goal of many.

Well, at least for the Ravens. Jean, Susan and the rest of the defensive team completely shut Binghamton down.

The Ravens’ fan had to be on their feet for half the game as Neil and the other Ravens scored goal after goal, as they completely annihilated the Bearcats. Part of it was that the other team never should have made it to the semi-finals, and part of it was… well, without Riko on the court, the other strikers pushed themselves to show that the Ravens didn’t consist only of the Perfect Court. While Neil got some revenge back for his former team, he was more than content to allow Sara, Toby and the others their time to shine.

Even if every time he caught sight of Riko, that gleam of madness in their captain’s dark eyes grew brighter and brighter.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Ravens had won, 32-0. The Bearcats’ fans were loud with their displeasure over their team being thoroughly trounced (and out of the semifinals), but the Ravens’ fans were even louder (that and plenty of security was on hand to ensure that no one got out of control). The after-game handshake ritual was rushed with Binghamton barely looking at them, but they couldn’t deny that they’d been beaten by the better team.

Considering the tense atmosphere in the locker room ( _Riko_ ), Neil was grateful when Hisoka told him to make it quick then led him away, up to the East Tower. He only paused to ensure that Jean would be all right (that Nakamura would look after him, per main branch orders), then trailed after his bodyguard/minder.

He still was unsettled about spending time in the East Tower, considering what had happened there when he was ten years old, but at least his father was dead and he should be safe now that he belonged to the main branch. _Should_. He kept that in mind as he walked out of the elevator and down the hallway, toward the room where he’d watched his father (watched Nathan Wesninski) chop apart some poor soul for whatever crime… only to walk in to find Ichirou Moriyama, a handful of bodyguards… and Stuart Hatford.

He almost faltered upon seeing his uncle after so long, but the look on Stuart’s face was the same expression he’d seen numerous (an uncountable amount) of times on his mother’s when she silently warned him to remain quiet and give nothing away. He smoothed out his steps and focused on Ichirou, gave his ‘lord’ a solemn nod as he stopped a respectful distance away, his own expression impassive.

He thought he saw a spark of respect in Ichirou’s dark gold eyes before the man cleared his throat. “There seems to be some disappointment that you’re not participating in the post-game interview and so mocking the Bearcats for their poor performance tonight.” Ichirou held up his cellphone for a moment.

Neil fidgeted with the hem of his t-shirt before he bowed his head. “Well, Coach Moriyama decided that Jenkins and Heiberg would handle the interviews tonight. I don’t think they’re as… abrasive as me.”

“I would say ‘irreverent’ and ‘insulting’, but the fans seem to like you as ‘abrasive’.”

Was it just Neil, or was that almost… approving?

Before he could decide, Ichirou smiled and waved his right hand. “What matters is that the fans enjoy your caustic tongue, which I have to admit is much more interesting than the usual simpering or self-serving interview.” He nodded in approval as he tucked his phone away. “You’re doing very well in marketing yourself, Nathaniel.” Behind his left shoulder, Stuart frowned slightly at the ‘Nathaniel’ part.

“ _I’m honoring our agreement, my lord_ ,” Neil said in Japanese with a slight inclination of his head.

Now Ichirou’s expression appeared to be pleased. “ _Yes, you are_.” He glanced at Hisoka, who stood at Neil’s side and nodded once. “ _I’m pleased to hear such good reports in your regard_.” He motioned to Stuart, who stepped forward with something held in his hands. “Because of your progress, I have something for you.”

Neil paused for a moment before he accepted the cloth-wrapped bundle his uncle held out to him – a bundle which was heavier than it looked. “ _Thank you, my lord_ ,” he said with another bow, that time deeper than the previous one.

Suspecting what the bundle contained, he carefully unwrapped it, his expression neutral when the gleaming knives were revealed. “I understand you’re progressing well,” Ichirou said as Stuart resumed his previous position.

“Yes,” Neil managed to choke out without being too obvious. “Kano-san is a good teacher.”

“Good.” Ichirou gave a significant look to Hisoka, who bowed in acknowledgment. “Continue to learn, Nathaniel. I’ve a feeling that you’ll be of great value to the family soon enough.”

Right, ‘of great value’ with knives in his hand, he couldn’t wait. Still, Neil knew enough to bow his head (again) and allow Hisoka to lead him out of the room after murmuring some sort of reassurances, rather than put those knives to use right away.

(Would he be acting more like his father or his mother?)

Somehow, he wasn’t surprised when his uncle followed him and Hisoka and called out his name (called out ‘Abram’). He paused while Hisoka went ahead to call up the elevator, his expression blank once more while Stuart stopped just out of reach.

“Fuck, but you’ve grown.” Stuart made an arrested motion toward him, as if he thought better of hugging Neil. “Are you… are you all right?”

A sliver of a smile overcame Neil’s lips. “Mostly.” He nodded toward the room they’d just left. “I’m managing okay, now.”

“Yeah.” For a moment, Stuart appeared bitter about something before he sighed. “So I hear. Look, I’ll be back for the finals, which I understand will take place here. We’ll talk more then, okay?” When Neil nodded, Stuart dared to step forward and give him a quick hug; he let go before Neil could do more than stiffen in reaction. “I’ll see you soon, kiddo.”

“You too, Uncle Stuart.” Neil felt a pang of… of something as his uncle walked away, and wondered if he should have said something about Mary, if he should have thanked the man for killing Nathan, if… if… there was _so much_ he was uncertain about (such as how did one react around an uncle in the first place, let alone an uncle who was also a mobster?) before he sighed and allowed Hisoka to tug him toward the elevator.

When he showed the knives to Hisoka, the man hummed in approval and said that Lord Moriyama must truly be pleased with his progress to gift him such fine blades. Also, Hisoka would provide him with sheathes so he could always carry some of them with him.

Neil barely bit back the question on if he could stab Riko at will, and instead pondered just when had his life become so fucked up?

…. Even more fucked up?

…. So truly fucked up?

It was one of those moments when he wondered why he didn’t drink alcohol (he was even willing to be stabbed or shot first, if need be).

(Again, when had his life become so truly fucked up?)

Jean took one look at the set of knives and, after an expression of extreme guilt flashed over his face, crawled into his bed and pulled the duvet over his head. Neil sighed and went into the bathroom, where he sent a text to Renee where he asked her not to let Jean take the blame onto himself before he sent another to Andrew to tell him he’d call tomorrow.

Neil just wanted the day to end.

At least Riko was gone the next day, more pro team stuff, while the Ravens focused on beating the Trojans in a week; it would be another home game so they wouldn’t have to fly back to southern California.

“ _By all reports, Jeremy has been cleared to play and is eager to give the Trojans their first divisional title_ ,” Jean murmured while he and Neil rested after a particularly brutal practice scrimmage.

“ _’Jeremy’, eh?”_ Neil asked after a sip of water, and noticed how Jean’s back stiffened. “ _Okay, I’m still working my brain around the whole threesome thing_ ,” to be honest, he was still working his brain around being in a… whatever with Andrew, “ _but now I’m trying to figure out how **Jeremy** fits into it_.”

Jean’s frown deepened while he shook his head. “ _I don’t know what you’re implying_.”

“ _Right, there’s just the whole Jeremy thing and him hanging on your every word back there at USC and you being so concerned about him when he got hurt_.” When Jean’s posture stiffened even more, Neil shrugged as he set the water bottle aside. _“I mean, as long as Renee and Allison are fine with it and you’re happy, go you._ ” He thought about that for a moment then huffed. “ _Well, I bet Allison would be smug as hell at having her own little harem, while Renee would be in heaven at having more people to fuss over._ ”

Jean continued to frown as if waiting for some snide comment (for Neil to mock him or tear him down), only to slowly relax when all Neil did was groan in commiseration when Tony got slammed into wall by Lev. “ _I… well, nothing’s happening yet_ ,” Jean murmured as he gazed out at the court, a hint of pink on his pale cheeks. “ _Renee and I are just talking._ ”

Neil hummed in understanding while he adjusted his forearm guard. “ _Talking’s good. Andrew and I talk all the time_.” Then he grimaced. “ _Well, he calls me an idiot and asks what the hell kind of trouble I’ve gotten into lately, but… you know what I mean_.” He felt his own face heat up for some reason as he thought about his friend.

“ _Renee is right, you two fools are meant for each other_.” Jean sighed as he reached for his own water bottle.

The thing was, how could Neil fight back against that when Jean’s romantic (or whatever) interest was _Renee_ (and to a lesser degree, Allison and Jeremy Knox)? He settled for a disgruntled glare and let the French bastard have the last word for once.

The campus was festooned with black and red in anticipation of the playoff game, with various pep rallies scheduled despite most students being focused on their final exams. All Neil had to worry about was his Spanish oral exam thanks to whoever Ichirou had taking care of everything else for him, which was good since Hisoka had decided that he needed to know how to properly use his new knives.

Neil didn’t know what was worse, the exhausting practice Tetsuji put them through leading up to the final game or spending so much time perfecting the skills his father and Lola had forced upon him years ago until he dreamt of flaying alive a begging Riko while his cheering father watched on.

He felt out of sorts the next day, felt like the times when he had just taken on a new identity and it hadn’t quite ‘sunk’ in yet, when he was still uncertain how he should act (if he was talkative or not, what he liked or disliked and so forth). It didn’t help that Riko had returned to the Nest with a ‘failure of _any_ kind will not be tolerated’ attitude, to the point that he would ‘correct’ a Raven before Tetsuji even had a chance.

Aware of that fact, Neil forced himself to pay extra attention whenever he was on court, to avoid slipping into an old persona (to slip into the one from the dream) or losing enough focus and risk an injury. Which meant that he did a more than adequate job of intercepting throws from the other ‘team’, of scoring goals and assisting the others (assisting _Riko_ ) to score points as well, enough that he noticed Tetsuji nod in approval a few times.

Which meant that it wasn’t his fault when he threw the ball to Riko, who was right next to the goal, that the spoiled bastard didn’t catch it – especially when Mike was still several feet away.

Yet Riko did miss it and Mike managed to snatch it up, and only Jean kept Sara away from the goal long enough for Tetsuji to call an end to the scrimmage before she scored another point.

As soon as Neil flipped up his visor and took a step toward the door leading off court, he found Riko in his face – a furious Riko. “What?” he asked as he fumbled backwards with his racquet gripped in both hands, held up to fend off the bastard.

“You fucked up!” Riko shouted at him as all of the Ravens stilled and turned to watch. “Even the most useless rookie can manage a simple throw!” While he ranted, he began to raise his racquet as if to cane Neil with it – cane him or bash his head in.

Hisoka was at the door to the court, but Neil wasn’t certain that he’d get out to him in time and began to raise his own racquet to do more than defend himself. “I didn’t fuck anything, _captain_.”

Perhaps not the brightest thing to do, since Riko let out an incoherent sound as he raised the racquet to bring it down on Neil, except suddenly Jean was there with his own racquet braced around Riko’s upper chest in a chokehold. “This is an Exy court, not a boxing ring,” he said, his deep voice calm as he yanked Riko away from Neil then did something that flung him several feet away to land hard onto the wooden floor, his striker’s racquet knocked from his gloved hands.

Riko gazed up in utter disbelief at Jean (he wasn’t the only one) as if unable to process the fact that _Jean_ had stopped him, but right as his expression shifted into murderous rage, Hisoka and Tetsuji stood in front of him.

“You’re done for the day,” Tetsuji ordered his nephew.

“But he-“

“ _Go now_ ,” Tetsuji barked in Japanese; with it being the day before finals, they couldn’t chance the media or anyone from the university witnessing an attack like that, and were thankful that it was still early in the day.

Riko didn’t move until Tetsuji motioned for Ito to ‘help’ his nephew, who then stalked off the court while throwing aside parts of his uniform. Neil watched as Tetsuji’s eyes narrowed in displeasure and wondered if the man might finally take steps to curtail his clearly disturbed nephew at last.

Most likely… no.

Hisoka stayed as close to Neil as possible for the rest of the day, but with Riko off sulking (or whatever), there really was no need for his protection. Especially since the afternoon was taken up with various interviews and photo shoots because of the game the next day.

No one seemed to mind that Riko missed out on them, especially the reporters; they seemed to have had enough of him going on about how the Ravens were the best and it didn’t matter that Kevin Day had deserted them, that all the other teams were nothing and he alone was the future for Exy.

“Prediction for tomorrow?” the sports writer for Edgar Allan’s school paper asked Neil as he and Jean handled their last round of interviews for the day.

Jean groaned as if in pain when Neil leaned toward the microphone to answer her question. “Oh, that we’ll win of course!” That prompted a round of laughter in the room. “But I imagine it’ll be close since the Trojans are really good and understandably have something to prove. It’ll definitely be a game to watch.” Beside him, Jean nodded in agreement.

“What, no ‘their defensive line would only be improved by a bunch of geriatric residents with new hip replacements’ or ‘their offensive players seem to think that just flinging balls anywhere near the goal is a great tactic’?” the writer asked with a smile on her face, well used to his usual commentary by then.

“Not with the Trojans – the most I can say is that they smile way too much and must suffer from dry lips.” Neil’s expression grew solemn while there was another round of laughter. “Is that normal? Is it something to do with southern California? A tactic to creep us out?” He let out a yelp when Jean cuffed the back of his head. “What? I thought you agreed with me?”

“Ignore my partner, he’s expended too many braincells on practice,” Jean declared as he commandeered the microphone. “We respect the Trojans and, as the second-best team in the division, have nothing to say about them other than we look forward to tomorrow’s game.”

Another reporter commented that the Trojans claimed that the Ravens needed to ‘loosen up’ and Jeremy Knox had offered to host a party to help in that regards, which made Jean tense up for a moment (Neil filed that away as yet more proof on the whole ‘foursome’ theory), and after a couple more questions, they were done for the day. Well, there was one more review of the Trojans’ stats and then dinner, but that went by quickly.

Hisoka let Neil have the night ‘off’ because of the game, but reminded him about Ichirou being there to watch it. That made Neil’s sense of dislocation return, considering what he’d been given the last time his ‘lord’ had been on campus.

Desperate for something to center him, he took his phone into the bathroom to call Andrew, to have some sort of… of normalcy for a short while. At the moment, Neil felt as if things were moving too fast toward something that was out of his control, that he would fight with all his strength if his hands weren’t already chained behind his back.

(He should be used to it by now, but being with the Foxes, with _Andrew_ had given him hope, damnit.)

At first Andrew didn’t answer, then texted him that he’d call back in a few minutes. Neil waited patiently for what he assumed to be Andrew going up to the roof and smiled when his phone rang. “What do you do when it rains?”

“Go for a drive,” Andrew admitted. “I’ve found the perfect spot for burying bodies.”

“Oh, multiple? Not just mine?” Neil shifted back further into a more comfortable position, with his right knee hugged against his chest.

“Well, Nicky’s pushing his luck if he forgets to clean the bathroom sink once more time after shaving, and Kevin….”

“Enough said with Kevin,” Neil chuckled; their friend could be a bit much at times, though Neil felt that he might understand him better after living with the Ravens these last few months. “Anyone else?”

Andrew exhaled for a couple seconds before he answered. “Aaron’s been damn smug lately.”

“Hmm?” Neil found that odd, especially since the last he heard, the twins had barely been talking to each other. “What changed?”

“I brought up that you would be staying for a while this summer.” When Neil tried to figure out why that would make Aaron smug (angry, yes, but smug?), Andrew clicked his tongue. “We had such a _lovely_ family session with Bee while I brought it up, because as he immediately figured out and pounced upon, you’re not staying there as an old school buddy and so that violates our agreement of… well, if I’m stuck with you, then he’s allowed to be with the cheerleader. Bee agreed and helped us lay down some ground rules, hence him being smug.”

“Oh.” It took Neil several seconds to process all of that. “Oh. So Aaron’s allowed to date now, and, uhm… you and me?” Was Andrew saying what Neil thought he was saying?

“Aaron’s not the only smug asshole right now – Bee is inordinately proud of herself and going on about how this is such an important ‘step’ in personal growth for me. I keep telling her it’s a sign of horrible life choices and how she’s failing at her job but she won’t listen to me.”

Neil found himself grinning as he relaxed even more against the mirror. “Jean tells me that I have terrible taste in men, and I tell him I don’t like men, I just like _you_. He tells me that’s even worse.”

Andrew snorted in disgust. “Like Valjean has any room to talk, considering he’s about to hook up with Renee and Reynolds.”

“Hmm, and Knox, too, it seems.”

It was quiet on the other line for several heartbeats before Andrew sighed, the sound one of a person pushed to their utmost limits. “I did _not_ need to know that.”

“Hey, if I’m stuck with the knowledge, so are you.” Neil laughed when Andrew called him a bastard. “Don’t worry, it’ll take like, a decade to happen if it ever does, knowing Jean.”

“You’re underestimating Renee – once she finds out he’s interested, it’s a done deal.”

Neil considered that before he nodded once. “True. And Jean’s being rather assertive as well, lately.” He thought about what his partner had done out on court with Riko and shivered.

“Wonderful, you’re rubbing off on him. I can expect the level of stupidity up there to double now,” Andrew drawled before he drew on his cigarette. “West Virginia isn’t far enough away.”

“Ha ha, not funny.” Neil thought about knives in his room and shivered again. “Not funny at all.” Though he tried to keep things normal, his voice cracked a little on the last two words.

It was quiet while Andrew smoked for about a minute and then he hummed. “Have something to tell me?”

“Not really.” Neil missed being up on the roof with Andrew, missed the scent of burning tobacco and his friend’s… his _boyfriend’s_ warmth soaking into his side from a scant inch or two away.

Missed how safe he felt when Andrew was near.

“ _Neil_. I know something’s going on, you’ve been tired and stressed lately and I doubt it’s from the damn game, not when the Ravens are the best team out there. What is it?”

For a moment, Neil felt the impulse to lie, to pull on a false smile that Andrew couldn’t see and say that it was just dealing with Riko and Tetsuji, the stress of the interviews and finals and… but he’d promised not to lie to Andrew. Instead, he rubbed his eyes before he switched to German. “ _I’m learning to fight_.”

Andrew let out a long exhale while he seemed to think about it. “ _From whom? That bodyguard of yours?_ ”

“ _Yeah. At first it was a lot of self-defense, a mix of styles, but Ichirou was here last week and gave me a set of knives_.” Neil laughed, the sound worn and bitter. “ _Knives like the ones when I was trained back at my father’s house. It’s clear that I’m supposed to know more than how to stay alive_.”

“ _You think he wants you to replace your father after all?”_ A hint of something… something _dark_ crept into Andrew’s deep voice.

“ _I don’t know_ ,” Neil admitted. “ _Not entirely, or else why leave me here? But I doubt I’ll just be translating and playing Exy_ ,” he said as he gave voice to his fears.

Andrew toyed with his lighter as he thought about that. “ _You don’t have to go back there_ ,” he offered, his voice intent since he never said such things lightly. “ _You come here in another week and you never return_.”

Despite everything, Neil smiled. “ _Thank you, but you know why I can’t_.” He continued when Andrew tried to argue. “ _I made the deal with Ichirou, so did Jean, and he won’t let us go back on it. We’re not Kevin,_ ” he reminded his… his boyfriend. “ _Us breaking our word would be an insult to the main branch, which would mean our deaths – and not just ours, I’m willing to bet_.”

“ _Still, I-“_ Andrew caught himself with whatever he was about to say then clicked his tongue. “You tell me if it’s bad,” was what he settled on in the end.

Despite all the ‘idiots’ and ‘fools’, Neil wasn’t stupid (impulsive, yes, that he wouldn’t argue); he realized that Andrew wasn’t dropping the matter, that he’d put his very impressive intelligence to use figuring out a way to negate Ichirou’s hold on Neil (and Jean, he better do the same for Jean), but as long as Neil could look Ichirou in the eye and say that he was still ‘loyal’ then all was good. Mostly good.

What Ichirou didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

Something like that.

(Wouldn’t hurt Neil, if Andrew had anything to say about it, and for once the taciturn bastard _would_ have something to say. With knives, most likely.)

They spent the rest of the call talking about their plans for Columbia, which really weren’t much in the way of plans at all; go to Eden’s once and hang out at the house a lot. Neil intended to get Kevin alone at some point so he could pass on Kayleigh Day’s letter stating that Coach Wymack was his father and see if his friend had any intention of letting the man know the truth, but for the most part he just wanted to spend as much time with Andrew that he could before Ichirou had him go to New York City and summer practice began.

Andrew ended the call by telling him that the Ravens sucked, which made Neil feel happy for some damn reason. He sent the bastard an emoji with a tongue stuck out before he brushed his teeth and left the bathroom, to find Jean still awake. “How’s Renee?”

“Well.” Jean tugged at his bangs while Neil crawled into bed. “She wished us good luck tomorrow, and will be hosting a party to watch the game, her and Allison.”

Somehow, that didn’t surprise Neil. “I bet she’ll bake up a storm for it, while Allison serves champagne and has a stocked bar.” He missed them so much – missed all the Foxes.

(Maybe not Aaron so much.)

“Yes, she commented on hoping that people don’t get too drunk.” Jean shook his head as if unable to imagine such a thing. “I told her about what happened today.”

“Hmm?” Neil punched his pillow to make it more comfortable. “Oh, with Riko.”

“Yes, she approved.”

Again, Neil wasn’t surprised; Renee didn’t go out of her way to commit violence, but she definitely believed in protecting those she cared for, and he doubted she’d object to others doing the same (as long as it wasn’t excessive). “Thank you for that.” With everything happening that day, he didn’t think he’d had the chance to say it to his partner.

Jean appeared slightly uncomfortable as he fussed with his duvet. “It’s only expected. You look out for me, I look out for you.”

Neil suspected that Jean still felt guilty over him making the deal with Ichirou for their safety, especially after the knife thing, and wished that he wouldn’t. “Well, we’re partners,” he said as he laid down. “Though you’re _French_ , so your idea of looking out for me is probably to back out of a fight two minutes into it, or leave me to fend for myself if it’s a holiday, or give up if it’s too cold, or-“ he laughed when Jean threw his slippers at him.

“I don’t know why I stopped Riko, he wouldn’t have hurt anything while trying to cave your empty head in,” Jean muttered, but Neil could see his lips twitch as if he wanted to smile right before he turned out the light on his nightstand.

“Bonne nuit, mon chevalier,” Neil sang out as he closed his eyes, and savored the sound of Jean’s low growl of annoyance before he fell asleep.

They needed every moment of rest they got that night, since they hit the ground running in the morning – literally, since they started their workout on the treadmill. Then it was yet another review of the Trojans’ stats (which Neil could recite in his sleep, which he’d rather be doing at the moment), a quick breakfast and then out onto the court for practice.

All the while, he noticed how Riko glared at him and Jean – especially Jean. It appeared that someone wasn’t dealing well with his former possession standing up to him, but with so much media and university staff on hand to watch the Ravens prepare for an important game, Tetsuji made sure that at least one of the assistant coaches was near Riko at all times, while Hisoka was close to Neil and Jean (who were kept as far from Riko as possible).

Susan and Sara came over to Neil and Jean while they did their warm-up stretches; Sara was still a bit standoffish with Neil since they both were strikers but otherwise didn’t give him any grief, while Susan was friendly and taught him Russian whenever they both had some time (mostly traveling to away games or during meals). “I think the Master is telling people that Riko has laryngitis to keep them from talking to him,” she said while she worked on her hamstrings.

“Really?” Neil glanced across the court to where Riko was knocking over a series of cones as if they personally had offended him.

Susan nodded while Sara grimaced, and Neil doubted it had anything to do with her ponytail falling into her face as she bent almost in half to touch her toes. “Wanna bet he’ll get at least a yellow card tonight?”

Jean scoffed while he stretched his arms. “Not touching that at all.”

“No one is,” Sara complained. “Ah well, at least it should mean more time for the rest of us tonight once the Master pulls him.” She gave an expectant look at Neil, who would start the game with Riko.

“You know I’ve no objection over you guys getting any game time,” he said as he reached for his toes. “Considering it’s the Trojans, we’ll probably need to switch things up a lot to wear them down.” While USC had almost as many players as the Ravens, not all of them were of equal skill. Neil knew that he wasn’t the best player on his team despite his number, but he’d improved a lot in the last few months (in the past year) and his teammates would cover for his lack of talent.

“Good.” Sara appeared appeased that he wouldn’t try to hog the court all night, though in reality the roster was up to Tetsuji.

They spent some time on drills and practicing shooting on the goal before they went to shower and change, right around when the Trojans arrived and the fans started to filter into the stadium. Neil wasn’t surprised when Hisoka led him away while the rest of the team went over the game plan once more, aware of Riko scowling after them.

“ _Jean should have choked the bastard yesterday_ ,” Neil murmured as they headed toward the East Tower.

Hisoka snorted in amusement while they waited for the elevator. “ _Perhaps he should be included in our practice sessions_.” He arched an eyebrow when Neil groaned. “ _What? You disagree_?”

“ _I think he’ll be very excited to spar with me_.” Neil glared when Hisoka laughed at the comment. “Yes, very funny,” he said as he switched to English. “You just want to see me get beaten up by someone a foot taller than me and who outweighs me by over forty pounds.” All of it muscle, of course.

“I think it’ll be wonderful incentive for your own training,” Hisoka argued as he motioned for Neil to step into the elevator first.

“Don’t take it personal when I stab you.” Neil’s glare when up a notch when Hisoka laughed some more; he hadn’t been joking.

The man seemed to realize it after a couple seconds, since the laughter faded away as he gazed at Neil then he shuffled toward the other side of the elevator to put more space between them. “Just something to consider.”

“Right.” Neil continued to glare until they reached the top floor, then smoothed out his expression before the doors opened, which was a good thing since his uncle waited on the other side. Stuart motioned for Hisoka to go ahead once they stepped into the hallway, then gave Neil a quick hug when the bodyguard obeyed.

“You’re looking good. Playing this game keeps you in shape,” he said as he pulled away. 

“Maybe you should take it up since I seem to remember you being a few kilos lighter back in London,” Neil dared to tease; Stuart’s back stiffened at first before he huffed in amusement.

“Just like your mother, you are, she couldn’t resist taking the piss out of me all the time.” He tousled Neil’s hair as a sad smile spread across his lips. “And I’m fine, not a scrawny runt like you.”

“Don’t wanna hear it, not when it’s the Hatford genes,” Neil mumbled as he tried to fix his hair.

“Ha, true, that. Many a time a bastard underestimated us because of ‘em.” Stuart’s expression grew serious as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his grey dress pants. “The little lord’s impressed with you so far, so keep doing well, okay? Don’t… don’t be like Mary and use your head before you act.”

Neil’s spine stiffened even as he nodded; as much as he wanted to defend his mother… well, his uncle had a point. “I understand.”

“Good.” Stuart sniffed a little as he motioned with his head toward the door down the hallway. “Let’s not keep him waiting.”

Neil nodded again, then followed his uncle toward Ichirou with Hisoka at his back; they entered the large room with the panoramic view overlooking Castle Evermore, filled with men dressed in expensive suits that didn’t quite hide the holstered guns beneath the tailored coats.

Stuart led him toward Ichirou, who finished talking to an older man about something to do with… packages, Neil thought, who bowed low before he walked away. Once the man was gone, Ichirou gave Neil an appraising look for several seconds. “I understand the training is going well,” he said while Stuart went off to pour two glasses of alcohol (it appeared to be whiskey or bourbon).

“At the least, I haven’t cut off a finger yet,” Neil said with a slight bow of his head. “Mine or Hisoka’s.”

Ichirou’s lips twitched once then smoothed out. “ _Are_ you trying to cut off Hisoka’s fingers?”

“We haven’t gotten to the torture lessons yet, so no,” Neil admitted. “But I’m holding out hope they’ll happen soon.”

That was when Stuart returned; he gave Neil a disappointed look before he drained the glass in his left hand while he shoved the other towards Ichirou, who had a faint yet pleased smile on his face. As for Hisoka, he seemed to be reciting a Buddhist prayer of all things.

“Perhaps we can see about moving those lessons forward,” Ichirou murmured as he accepted the glass.

“Lord Moriyama!” Hisoka gasped, which made Ichirou’s smile widen the slightest bit.

“I’m sure Nathaniel wouldn’t do such a thing to his respected teacher,” Ichirou said before he sipped his drink.

“If you’d rather I not, my lord,” Neil sighed.

Ichirou continued to smile while Stuart muttered about ‘just like Mary’ and Hisoka gave Neil a gentle rap on the back of his head while arguing that _he_ much ‘rather’ that Neil respected him.

“When you and Jean are done visiting your friends, I plan to keep you busy in New York,” Ichirou said once he finished his drink. “There are several sponsors interested in the two of you, and Stuart has some things to show you.”

The slight smile on Neil’s face slipped away as he inclined his head once more. “ _I understand, my lord_.”

“ _You’ve lived up to expectations so far, Nathaniel. Be sure to never disappoint me_.” Ichirou reached out to tap the ‘4’ tattoo on Neil’s cheek and let his finger linger for a moment before he nodded once then walked away.

Stuart paused in following the Moriyama lord to nod at Neil as well. “Good luck today, kiddo.”

“Thank you.” Neil glanced at Hisoka, who waved toward the door leading to the hallway (the only clear exit in the room, other than the windows which Neil was certain were bullet-proof), which he took to mean they were to leave. Eager to return to Jean’s side, Neil didn’t hesitate to go.

Once they were in the elevator, Hisoka sniffed as if upset. “I thought you just wanted to stab me.”

“Stab, slice, what’s the difference?” Neil grinned as he leaned against the mirrored walls.

“A stab wound I can usually walk off, but missing body parts are another matter,” Hisoka grumbled as he rubbed his hands together.

Neil winced as he palmed his left side, over an old wound. “Depending on where you’ve been stabbed… but point taken.” He shared a weary look with Hisoka for a moment, then pondered yet again how fucked up his life was that he knew exactly what the man meant.

Then something occurred to him once they were out of the elevator. “Does that mean I can stab you?”

Hisoka sighed as he rapped him on the back of the head again, that time harder than before. “Only if I can stab you back.”

Hmm, it might be worth it….

Jean took one look at him when he came out on court and shook his head. “ _Whatever foolishness you’re thinking up, stop it_.”

Neil frowned as his racquet was shoved into his hands. “ _But I haven’t even_ -“

“ _No! You have that wicked gleam in your eyes which usually leads to something utterly insane, like us running away or making improbable deals. So be quiet and **behave** for once_.” Jean glared at him until Neil huffed then pressed his lips together. As if surprised that he’d given in so easily, Jean squinted in suspicion while he removed one of his gloves so he could feel Neil’s forehead with the back of his right hand and scoffed. “ _This is probably some sort of trick but I’ll take it. Save your foolishness until the start of the game_.”

Neil held up two fingers at his dear partner before he went to join the rest of the strikers for a last-minute shootout on the goal before the game started.

He wished that he’d had a few minutes to text or even call Andrew before the game started, but all too soon it was time to take his place out on court, along with Jean and Riko – a Riko with a too rigid smile and dark eyes gleaming with an awful fervor that Neil had seen all too often in his father’s (a fervor to hurt, to break another person down into nothing).

He was so mindful of Riko (mindful to stay as much out of reach as possible), he almost missed Knox’s small wave and huge grin directed at Jean, and Jean’s ‘disdainful’ sniff in return (along with a hint of blush along pale cheeks). Oh, had something happened while Neil had been up in the East Tower? Hopefully Susan or Naomi could fill him in after the game. Then the buzzer rang and Naomi was throwing the ball, and all thoughts except for playing Exy left Neil’s head.

Well, playing Exy and avoiding Riko as much as he could while still functioning as a team since the bastard was doing whatever he could to hog the damn ball – hog the ball and target Jean. Neil felt a spike of anger as he watched his ‘captain’ shove Jean nearly into the wall as he went running toward Trojan’s goal with the ball; only Jean’s quick reflexes kept him on his feet.

Neil didn’t think he imagined the scowl on Knox’s face when he ran past the other striker.

The Trojans were determined and pounced on any opening the Ravens gave them, but they still were the cleanest team in the division even if they stood their ground and didn’t buckle nor lose their tempers to some of the ‘rougher’ Ravens (Lev, Mike and Riko). Alverez did shove Lev the one time when he checked her rather hard, but the refs seemed to overlook it since both players continued on their way without incident.

What they didn’t overlook? When Knox was right there as Riko (who’d intercepted Naomi’s throw to Neil, who’d been closer to the goal) reached the end of his ten steps and managed to steal the ball away while the vainglorious asshole glanced around the court, and ended up being knocked down as a result. It wasn’t as bad as what had happened back in California, but it was enough for Riko to earn a yellow card and so be yanked from the game.

Neil _knew_ he didn’t imagine the pleased grin on Knox’s face while the game was paused.

(Too bad Sara never found someone to take her bet.)

Without Riko on the court, the Ravens functioned better and managed a three point lead over the Trojans by half-time; Neil sat out most of the second quarter, which meant that the other strikers had plenty of game time, and made sure to sit between Jean and Riko when his partner was off-court.

It was a solemn half-time with Tetsuji criticizing every mistake they’d made out on court, threatening that any hope of an Exy career they had would vanish if they lost and promising they’d spend the entire summer cleaning the court with their tongues, before he relented and spent the final few minutes pointing out the Trojans’ weaknesses and how best to take advantage of them.

Neil would have given almost anything for one of Wymack’s ridiculous pep talks right about then.

He got to rest a little longer while Toby and Karl handled most of the third quarter, then was subbed in with Sara right before the fourth. They managed to score a goal each, but the Trojans were determined to win a championship at last and whittled away at the point gap; Ben was a good goalie, but he wasn’t as capable as Susan.

(He wasn’t as good as Andrew.)

Past the halfway point through the fourth quarter, Tetsuji sent Riko back in when Sara was yellow-carded for prolonged contact with Lawrence, one of the Trojans’ backliners. By that point, the Ravens had stalled the Trojans at a two point gap between them; whenever USC managed to get past Jean and Leif to score a goal, Neil, Sara and Emery would batter down their defenses to take one back.

The crowd had been on their feet for the last ten minutes or so, roaring loudly over each twist of the game, so Riko’s return was heralded with only a slight change in pitch. Neil noticed how his hands clenched around his racquet and braced himself for more of Riko’s temper tantrums.

However, the asshole surprised him by actually playing as he should (no excessive roughness, no grandstanding), which made Neil wonder if Tetsuji had actually smacked down his nephew for once, or if Riko was putting the good of the team before his ego (for once). He still expected to get the ball unless it was impossible for him to make the goal, but he was more reasonable than he’d been in ages.

It didn’t help them increase their lead any, not when the Trojans wanted victory at last. Neil knew it had to weigh on Riko to have the other team come so close when he’d spent the whole year going on about how the Ravens weren’t affected by losing Kevin, that _he_ was the best striker out there and they’d show the southeastern district how to properly play Exy.

Neil could see that gleam of madness grow brighter and brighter as the clock clicked down. As Alverez scored another point while he and Jean worked to keep Knox away from the goal.

The glare Riko gave Leif for letting her slip past him and then Ben for scoring made Neil worry for his teammates, but then he was off running down the court, certain that Susan would throw the ball as far toward the opposite goal as possible since only seconds remained on the clock. He was leading Riko there when he heard the crowd react to something and turned to see that Knox had managed to jump up to intercept the ball.

The Trojans’ captain spun around, clearly intent on trying for another goal to tie the game, but Jean was there to slam their racquets together with enough force to knock the ball free, then scooped it up the moment it hit the ground. He only had a second or two to react, to throw the ball before Knox tried to take it back, and judging from Riko’s posture, it was clear that their ‘king’ expected it to be thrown to him.

Jean threw it to Neil.

He had to jump up to catch the ball (stupid tall French bastard) then hit the ground running. Well aware of the few remaining seconds, his ten steps and the looming Trojan backliners, Neil zigzagged his last few steps before he twisted around right as McKinley lunged at him and put to use Kevin’s beloved wall bounce trick.

The goal lit up right before the final buzzer sounded, barely heard over the roar of the crowd.

Neil’s knees buckled when he realized that they’d won, that the Ravens had won, and for a moment felt a pang of remorse that he wasn’t surrounded by the Foxes right then, that he hadn’t managed such a feat with his original team. Then he thought about Jean, that he had at least one friend to share the victory with and twisted about to find the grumpy French bastard.

Jean had removed his helmet, his black hair damp with sweat and plastered to his forehead, and appeared to be walking Neil’s way while the rest of the Ravens poured onto the court. Neil managed a tired smile and began to stand up when he spotted Riko moving toward Jean with his racquet raised in the air.

“ _Behind you_!” Neil shouted as he forced his tired body to move, too aware of all the space between them and how close Riko was to Jean, how fast the racquet swung toward Jean’s head – and then another racquet slammed into Riko’s right side to knock him onto the floor.

Knox’s racquet, to be exact.

Neil stumbled over to his stunned partner while a green-faced Knox dropped his racquet next to a groaning Riko. “He… are you okay?” Knox asked Jean while people swarmed around them, some to fall around Riko, who was screaming in a mix of Japanese and English, and the rest around the three of them.

Jean gazed at Knox as if seeing him for the first time and managed a dazed nod before the striker was practically carried away by a swarm of people; the same thing happened to Neil and Jean as they were herded together with the other Ravens (with Hisoka at their side) while the game officials attempted to restore some sort of order.

As Riko was bustled off the court, mostly hidden by medical staff and campus security.

Someone wisely decided to forgo any post-game interviews that night, other than Nakamori reading a brief statement about the Ravens’ joy at another victory being tempered by the breakdown of their beloved captain. The mood in the locker room (once the drama and questioning by various officials were finally over) was the most subdued that Neil had ever seen it at Evermore, with no one speaking as they showered and dressed. He didn’t know if they were that worried about Riko or just upset that their hard work had been overshadowed by their captain going ‘crazy’ in public.

As much as Neil had hoped for something to bring Riko down at last, he felt sorry for his teammates, for what he knew would be used against them one way or another.

He and Jean retreated to their room despite a couple offers to join in a private party to ‘celebrate’ their win (they mostly trusted Susan, Leif and the others… but no). Once alone, Neil collapsed on his bed while Jean sat down with a groan.

“ _I can’t believe that happened_ ,” Jean said as he rubbed his eyes. “ _I mean, he’s never_ ….”

“ _Been full-on crazy before_?” Neil offered as he laid on his side to better look at his partner. “ _It’s been building for some time now, you have to admit it. What did he think would happen after he broke Kevin’s hand? Or if we didn’t run, how would he explain the two of us back at spring break, hmm_?” He waited until Jean gave a reluctant nod to continue. “ _Tetsuji should have stopped him long ago but didn’t, so tonight’s on both of them_.” Tetsuji for creating a monster, and Riko for reveling in being one.

“ _He’s done too much for me to ever forgive him, I just… I don’t know_ ,” Jean admitted as he stared at his hands, at the fingers broken so many times by Riko. “ _What happens next_?”

“ _We’ll find out in a few days, I imagine_.” Neil closed his eyes for a moment before he remembered about Andrew and how he’d promised to call after the game.

Or they’d find out sooner, because as he got up to fetch his phone, there was a knock on the door before Hisoka entered. “Good, you’re still awake.” He nodded to Neil. “You’re wanted upstairs.”

That could only mean one place. “Uhm.” Neil motioned to the black track pants and sweatshirt he wore, and relaxed when Hisoka shrugged to show that he didn’t have to change. “I’ll be back soon. Ask Renee to pass on to Andrew that I’ll call later,” he told Jean, who nodded as he reached for his phone.

Hisoka was quiet until they were out of the Nest then groaned. “I’m going to be upset if I have to learn that game of yours to watch over you on the damn court.”

Neil found himself smiling as they approached the elevator leading to the East Tower. “As funny as that could be, you learning Exy, somehow I doubt too many people are going to try to cave my head in with a racquet during a game.”

“They better not,” Hisoka grumbled. “I sucked at baseball, and that had much less running in it.”

“I think tonight was a one-time thing.”

Hisoka squinted at him as they entered the elevator. “I don’t know, there’s something about the two of you and psychopaths.”

Wait until Jean heard that theory – Neil would insist it was all the French.

The viewing room atop the East Tower was emptier than it had been earlier, since most of the ‘guests’ probably had left after the game. There was Ichirou and several bodyguards, Stuart, Tetsuji and Riko - the right side of his face bruised and right arm bandaged and in a sling. He and his uncle sat on one of the room’s black leather couches, and there was a dull gleam to his dark eyes which indicated that he’d been medicated at some point.

Neil spared him a glance to make sure that he wasn’t moving (the one guard behind the couch seemed to be there to ensure that) then bowed his head to Ichirou. “My lord.” Was he there to answer questions? Hisoka hadn’t warned him about any trouble.

“Nathaniel.” Ichirou finished the drink in his hand then set it aside on the bar while Stuart regarded Neil with a blank expression. “Congratulations on a well-played game tonight.”

“Thank you. We did our best.” From the couch, there was a muffled noise as Riko shook his head while Tetsuji remained silent, his face expressionless as well.

“Most of you,” Ichirou said as he regarded his younger brother, the child discarded by his father at birth, with obvious distaste. “The Ravens have played well as always, except for one who has no care for anyone but himself, who has drawn negative attention our way and risked harm to important family investments.”

“My lord,” Tetsuji started to argue while Riko gazed at his brother with wide (drugged-hazed) eyes. “Riko has-“

“Has done whatever he’s wanted,” Ichirou said with a stern look at his uncle as he clasped his hands behind his back. “Do you think we weren’t aware of what went on here? The incident with Day and other players? Transporting felons across state lines?” When Tetsuji shook his head, Ichirou’s expression took on a cruel smile, one which made Neil inch toward his uncle and wish that he had a weapon on hand. “My father was busy the last two years of his life transitioning power to me and tying up as many loose threads as he could, but he knew about _everything_ that happened here, I assure you. It became clear after his death that I needed to deal with the matter,” his gaze flickered to Neil for a moment, “which is fortunate because now things are in place to handle the fallout of your latest negligence.”

Tetsuji visually paled at those words. “What… what does that mean?” he asked, his voice strained while Riko garbled something and attempted to grab onto his arm.

“That when the ERC and the university’s Board show up demanding your resignation and changes made to the Exy program, that I’ll have enough people placed among them to ensure that those changes won’t negatively affect things here.” Ichirou motioned to one of his bodyguards, who opened his suit coat to pull out his gun. “That the clean-up will have already begun.”

“My lord,” Tetsuji choked out, only to fall silent at the cold look on his nephew’s face. Riko tried to move, perhaps to stand up, but was held in place by the guard behind him.

Figuring out what was about to happen, Neil braced himself for the gunshot, but was stunned when after a glance at Ichirou, the bodyguard approached him with the gun held out for him to take it. “Uhm, Lord Moriyama?” Neil stuttered out.

Ichirou didn’t say anything but merely gave Neil a nod, as if in ‘go ahead, hurry up’. Suspecting that it was a test of sorts, of how much he was willing to obey, Neil blanked his emotions as he accepted the gun.

It was a SIG Sauer P226, which made him wonder if the bodyguard had been military at one point (or wanted to be); it appeared to be well taken care of, with a full clip of ammunition. Neil clicked off the safety for a moment then back on before he returned it to its owner, which made Ichirou frown and Stuart curse beneath his breath.

He turned to his uncle and held out his hand. “Your gun,” he asked, which made Ichirou arch an eyebrow and Stuart stop swearing to huff. “It’s not registered, right?”

“Don’t try to teach your betters, you little shit,” Stuart griped as he slipped his Glock 17 from its holster then screw on a silencer before he gave it to Neil. Despite the insult, there was a gleam of approval in his pale grey eyes.

“I’m more familiar with this model,” Neil explained as he checked the gun, the same model which his mother had always favored (which he’d reluctantly left behind in Millport).

(Which he’d used to protect his mother and himself upon occasion.)

“I’ll remember that,” Ichirou murmured while Neil crossed the room to where Riko sat, a glimmer of hate shining through the drug haze. All it took was for Neil to undo the safety and raise the Glock with a smooth motion to Riko’s right temple, then pull back on the trigger while he thought about what had happened to Andrew, Jean and Kevin; he barely registered the kick or noise of the gun, he was so focused on watching Riko’s life come to an end.

To knowing that there was one less monster to hurt his friends.

He stood there until Stuart came over to take the gun away, startled at first by his uncle’s presence but then he smiled, the expression faint but grateful. “Don’t you want me to clean it for you?”

“That’s okay, kiddo, I’ll do it.” Stuart nodded with approval as he tugged Neil away from the mess.

While two of the bodyguards dealt with Riko’s body, Ichirou handed Neil a glass of whiskey. “I foresee us working well together.” Ichirou clinked their glasses together while he held Neil’s gaze. “I look forward to your time in New York.”

“Thank you, my lord,” Neil murmured before he sipped the potent whiskey (as he compartmentalized what he’d just done, just like he’d done in the past, just like he was certain he’d do again in the future.)

As long as Ichirou honored his promise, Neil would honor his.

*******

“Are you sure you didn’t mix up the flights? Maybe they’re supposed to be on a later o-ow!” Kevin glared at Andrew while he rubbed his ribs.

“No, I didn’t and look over there,” Andrew said as he pointed to the stairwell leading down to the baggage claim area, where a tall figure dressed in a black hooded t-shirt could be seen with another figure in black next to them – a figure who only came up to their shoulder.

Two guesses who they were, especially since the shorter of the two carried a black and red duffel bag.

A few people turned around to get a better look at the twosome, but Neil and Jean moved too quickly for anyone to stop them, determined to reach Andrew and Kevin. They came to a halt right in front of them, Neil about two feet from Andrew with Jean at his back.

“I guess we don’t have to get a cab after all,” he said with a slight smile, alluding to Andrew’s threat not to pick him up.

Andrew clicked his tongue as his hands itched to push back the black hood and comb through Neil’s hair until his fingers rested on his idiot’s nape, to pull him in for a kiss…. “We just happened to be in the area.”

“Hmm, lucky us.” Neil’s smile strengthened as he glanced over at Kevin, who was all but vibrating in excitement. “Hey. How’s the wrist?”

“Perfectly fine! Coach said that we can practice as much as- ow! Dammit, Andrew!” He scowled at Andrew, who’d landed another hit over the ‘p’ word.

“They’re here on break,” Andrew reminded the Exy addict.

“We’ll see,” Neil said as he hitched the strap of his duffel bag higher up on his shoulder while he glanced around.

“But this is a great-“

“We’ll _see_ ,” Jean said, speaking up for the first time, a disapproving frown on his face as he motioned to the right. “Renee has several things planned and I personally would like to spend a few days not dealing with anything Exy related.”

Kevin gaped at Jean as if he couldn’t believe what he’d heard, while the backliner murmured something in French and tugged Neil along to what turned out to be a luggage carousel. Andrew narrowed his eyes as he followed, but knew he was just seeing in action the assertiveness which Neil and Renee had told him about which Jean had reclaimed lately.

It seemed that Kevin would need a while to get used to it.

Neil and Jean claimed a suitcase each since they would fly on to New York after leaving Columbia, though Neil’s was on the smaller size since he’d split up his belongings between it and his carryon. He walked beside Andrew as they headed to the parking garage while Kevin struck up a tentative conversation with Jean in French.

The two weeks after Riko’s death had been rough for Kevin, with him coming to terms with his complicated emotions for the abusive bastard. He’d spent a week with Wymack while he processed the guilt, relief, anger and remorse then joined Andrew in Columbia.

As for Andrew, he’d dealt with unexpected solitude; Nicky had gone to visit Erik in Germany while Aaron had left to go home with the cheerleader for a few weeks. For the first time in what felt like forever, Andrew didn’t have anyone to watch over, to protect… and it had been both unsettling and amazing.

He knew that soon enough, Kevin would be back, even though Riko was gone and the Moriyamas mostly dealt with, that Aaron would return even though their deal had been renegotiated. Bee was right in that while things changed, it didn’t always mean for the worse.

Sometimes that change was an improbable pipedream with pale blue eyes and a penchant for lies who sat in the passenger seat of the GS with a slight smile on his ridiculously handsome face while he gazed at Andrew.

“Staring,” Andrew said as he revved the engine.

“Hmm, I’m just checking to see if you’ve changed any since I saw you last. Did you always have those wrinkles around your mouth like that? Or the ones around-“

“Hush,” Andrew insisted as he poked Neil in the stupid tattoo, which prompted the idiot to laugh.

That made Jean lean forward to ask a question in French and then Kevin to join in; Andrew was certain that Neil hadn’t laughed much in the past two weeks, not with all the shit that had gone down at Castle Evermore after Riko’s suicide: the media circus, the ERC and Edgar Allan’s College Board butting their noses in and trying to make things ‘better’ much too late.

Neil had been oddly quiet and withdrawn on the phone calls for the first few days, especially when talking about Riko’s death; Andrew more than suspected that there was a story to be told, but was willing to let Neil reveal the truth when he was ready (unless it looked as if the secret would lead to unnecessary effort on Andrew’s part in the future).

By the time they reached the house, Jean appeared a little less stiff around Kevin; Renee and Reynolds would arrive in two days to take Valjean off their hands, which gave Renee some time to spend with her foster mother and Jean to be acclimated outside the Nest with Neil by his side before he went off alone with the upperclassmen (not that he’d be too far since Reynolds had rented a house a few blocks away).

Neil’s expression was blank as he walked up the porch and into the house, as if he refused to reveal anything, yet he touched the kitchen counter, the chair he usually sat in at the table, and one of Nicky’s stupid magnets on the fridge (a merman) with an obvious reverence as if he’d never expected to see them again.

Nicky had offered up his bedroom for Neil (and Jean) to stay in while he was gone, upset that he was missing out on ‘sexy Raven time’ (and an early death); Andrew was half-tempted to put Neil up in Aaron’s room, but didn’t want to deal with Bee’s lectures on passive-aggressiveness for a whole semester (besides, there was _nothing_ passive about his aggressiveness).

After Neil and Jean put away their belongings, everyone settled in the living room to watch television. Kevin attempted to put on an Exy game, only to be outvoted since none of the rest of them, not even Neil, wanted to watch the sport, so they finally agreed on a movie that Neil and Jean hadn’t seen (not hard to find).

Twenty minutes into the film, Andrew got up to have a cigarette (and to get away from Kevin pointing out historical inaccuracies and Jean telling him to shut up). He’d just sat down on the top step of the back porch and lit a cigarette when the back door opened then closed, and a moment later Neil sat next to him.

He offered the lit cigarette to his boyfriend, who refused it with a slight shake of the head and a rueful smile, just like back in Charleston (other than the one time). “I can only imagine how much Jean will bitch if I start smoking again.”

“You never smoked properly in the first place,” Andrew scoffed before he inhaled on the cigarette while Neil chuckled, the sound faint but true. “You think it’s wise, leaving those two in there alone?”

Neil shrugged as he gazed out across the backyard, his long, thin fingers busy twisting the strings of his hooded t-shirt; there was… a _deepness_ to him that hadn’t been there a few months ago, a sense of darkness and sharpness as well. Andrew had always known that there was a danger to ‘Neil Josten’, but now he seemed to radiate it.

(He’d even traded drab brown and black for brighter colors as if a visual warning.)

Yet when Andrew wrapped his hand around Neil’s nape, his idiot smiled and turned to look at him. “I think they’ll be fine, and they need this time to work things out. Kevin seems to realize that Jean isn’t just ‘number three’ anymore and wants to make up for the past, while Jean is ready to move on.”

Andrew’s hand tightened slightly while he flicked ash to the side. “You studying psychology or something?”

That prompted a grimace from Neil even as he slumped toward Andrew (but didn’t touch him just yet). “Nah, just talked to Renee a bit the last few days.”

Ah, that explained it. “Good, because if I want a therapy session, I’ll call Bee.”

“Hmm, I’m sure she’s happy about a break, especially after dealing with you _and_ Aaron.” Neil grew quiet again as he nibbled on his bottom lip (a bottom lip which Andrew wanted to nibble on himself). “Uhm, you know, you didn’t have to… I mean… this thing with having me here and….”

Having a feeling what Neil was failing to say, Andrew clicked his tongue. “I did what I wanted. No more lies between me and Aaron.” When he realized that he would have Neil here for two weeks, that they would be together… he hadn’t wanted to sneak around behind Aaron’s and Kevin’s backs, to have stolen moments here and there because he couldn’t admit that he’d broken the agreement he’d made with his twin (which Aaron had broken first). So if Aaron had the cheerleader and Andrew was stuck with Neil (and Bee had to put up with both of them)… then at least Andrew’s hormones should get a bit of a break for the next two weeks.

Or that’s what he told himself.

(Maybe just a tiny bit of lies, while he worked on a few more things.)

“Okay,” Neil said, as if all that mattered to him was that Andrew was ‘happy’ with this… whatever between them.

(Maybe not a tiny lie after all.)

It was quiet while Andrew finished the cigarette, save for the sound of children playing a couple houses down and the occasional car driving past. Once the cigarette butt was flicked aside, Andrew removed his hand from Neil’s nape so he could fish in his pocket for something; Neil shifted away to look at him, a curious expression on his face.

The item clasped between his fingers, Andrew pulled his hand free then held it out. “Here,” he said as he dropped it onto Neil’s waiting palm once it was extended. His idiot blinked in surprise at the house key nestled in his hand, along with the PSU fox keychain.

“But I-“ Neil’s fingers curled around it as he stared at Andrew. “You’re giving it back to me?”

“Take better care of it this time,” Andrew insisted. “And if you give Valjean a copy? I’m changing the lock.”

Neil laughed as he clutched the key to his chest. “I won’t, I promise.” He closed his eyes for a moment before he shoved the key into the front pocket of his black jeans (at least he dressed better as a Raven). “Yes?” he asked as he gazed at Andrew, his voice husky and eyes heavy-lidded.

The morons inside better be busy watching the movie or fighting, Andrew thought as he reached to grasp Neil’s nape again. “Yes,” he breathed out, as he gave in to the urge which had filled him since he’d seen his idiot back in Baggage Claim. “Shoulders and above.”

Neil murmured his understanding before the slight gap between them closed, before his arms draped over Andrew’s shoulders and gasped when Andrew finally got to do some nibbling of his own.

As Andrew slowly laid out Neil beneath him on the porch and slid his hands beneath the black t-shirt, he plotted on how to foist Kevin off on Renee and Reynolds for the rest of Neil’s visit.

*******

**Author's Note:**

> *******  
> And that's it? I know, there could be more (especially with Neil and Andrew on their two week vacation!) but I had to end it somewhere. Part of me wants to write more, and part of me is like... let people imagine what happens next? Maybe?
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this. Any comments and kudos are greatly appreciated.


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